Record of a Thousand Lives

Henrick was shocked upon hearing Shaneth’s words, and he looked at her with wide eyes… and a cherry-red nose from the alcohol.
He exclaimed, “What?! You think an Artisan can’t fight?”

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“No, that’s not what I meant…” Shaneth began.

“Alright, come outside,” Henrick said firmly.

The trio left the pub.
The bill, of course, was paid by Kang Yoon-Soo.

Henrick, who was obviously drunk, guided the two to the military training center.
The place was still crowded with people training their combat skills amid the sound of clashing weapons. Henrick looked at Kang Yoon-Soo and said, “Hey, you.
You have a sword, so I’m guessing you know how to use it?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said simply.

“Good.
I thought it was just for show, since you have a staff together with it,” Henrick remarked.

The military training center had weapons lined up, ranging from practice wooden swords to real steel swords. Henrick picked out two real swords with dull edges. “Shall we spar lightly? You can use your sword.”

“Okay,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as he pulled out Ravian’s Longsword.

The gazes of those training in the military training center focused on the two, who were about to spar with real swords.
It was easy to wound one another when real swords were involved, which was why only experts sparred with real swords; doing so while trying not to wound one’s opponent required a significant amount of skill and control.

Most of the onlookers watching were worried for the two, but there were some who sighed as if they had seen numerous such fools, who had sparred with real swords only to end up getting hurt.
Some of the people who prided themselves on “living by the sword” frowned at the pair for insulting the sword.

A man approached Shaneth and remarked, “Does it make sense that a pair of drunks will be sparring? Why don’t you stop them, miss?”

“Unfortunately, they aren’t the kind of people who can be convinced to stop,” Shaneth replied as she looked worriedly at the pair.

Henrick wielded both swords as he got into an offensive stance.
Suddenly, however, he put his hand into his coat and pulled out a small square box.
He slowly opened the box, and a large wooden doll that was several meters tall emerged from it.

The onlookers shouted in surprise.

“Oh!”

“He was a Puppeteer!”

The Puppeteer class made combat dolls and used them in battle.
It was Shaneth’s first time seeing a Puppeteer, because they were not a common class.
To be frank, she had had no idea that a Puppeteer was even a combat class.

“I made this guy myself.
You can go all out on him if you want,” Henrick declared proudly.

The combat doll tightly gripped swords in both hands.
A thin thread extended out of Henrick’s right hand, infused with his mana; the mana thread could not be cut easily, and it allowed him to manipulate the combat doll according to his will. However, manipulating and controlling a combat doll was not an easy task.
The combat prowess of a Puppeteer heavily depended on their control.

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‘Henrick Elrickerson…’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought as he looked at the Puppeteer. He had been as intertwined with Henrick as he was with Shaneth in his previous lives, and Shaneth was someone he had been deeply involved with to begin with.

He suddenly recalled the past, when Henrick had first died.
He had cried in agony as he clutched the man’s corpse back then.
In that lifetime, Henrick had been his teacher and his sworn brother.
Of course, those were just distant memories of a nonexistent past in this lifetime.
However, that did not mean it was completely gone from his memories. 

Just as he was getting lost in melancholy; he heard Henrick’s voice calling out, “Let’s start.
Should I go first?”

Kang Yoon-Soo snapped back to his senses.
He nodded at the man who had been dead in his memories just a moment before, answering, “Yes.”

The wooden combat doll creaked into motion.
However, just when the onlookers thought it was having difficulty moving; its attack suddenly appeared in front of Kang Yoon-Soo. It struck down rapidly with its dual swords.

Clang!

Kwachik!

Instantly, the wooden combat doll’s waist was shattered.

Henrick’s sudden strike was so effective that nobody in the training center saw what had happened.
The movements and swordsmanship displayed by the wooden combat doll had been so unique and effective that it was hard to believe a doll made of wood had performed them.

However, the wooden combat doll’s attack was neutralized in one exchange, and it was destroyed in a single blow.

Nobody saw what kind of attack Kang Yoon-Soo had used, and nobody could explain how he had counterattacked.
Those who had been laughing at the two drunks were immediately silenced; they stood frozen on the spot in disbelief, and some of them rubbed their eyes as if they could not believe what had just happened.

Henrick laughed as he stared at the destroyed combat doll.
He asked, “Hey, what was your name again?”

“Kang Yoon-Soo,” came the reply.

“Right, Kang Yoon-Soo… What the hell are you?” Henrick asked.

“Why do you care?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked back.

“You’re quite the jerk, aren’t you?” Henrick replied.

Those were the words Henrick would end up repeating over and over again.

***

Henrick’s luggage was quite simple and modest. It consisted of a crafting kit, a doll summoning box, a pouch of dried food, and all sorts of alcohol.

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He was loitering around the other two when Shaneth said, annoyed, “Please go wash up.”

“It’s bothersome,” Henrick complained.

“Then don’t come with us,” Shaneth snapped.

Henrick grumbled for a bit before he went and washed up, but he returned looking neat and tidy.
He had changed his clothes for ones that were not ragged, and he now looked quite decent; he had handsome features to begin with.

The trio purchased some cooking tools and ingredients, and left Riel to head north.

Henrick asked curiously, “Wouldn’t it be faster to ride a horse if we plan to go all the way to the capital?”

“No.” Kang Yoon-Soo flatly rejected the notion.

The legendary quest had been updated after they found the missing piece of history.

[Legendary Quest: Loyal Subject]

You have found the missing portion of history and facts that nobody has ever heard of.
A creature related to the Ancient Heroes inhabits the roads to Riel.
Meet up with the creature and continue your travels.

“A legendary quest?” Henrick asked as he scratched his beard. It was news to him, as he had just joined the party.

Shaneth put both arms on her waist, puffed out her chest, and proudly asked Kang Yoon-Soo, “I guess we can tell him, right?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Shaneth said, “Yes, we’re currently doing a legendary quest.”

“Is that so? Hmm… It must be a legendary quest related to the Ancient Heroes,” Henrick replied, rubbing his chin.

Night came as they walked, and Kang Yoon-Soo methodically checked the surroundings before choosing a campsite.
He set up the campfire as Shaneth started cooking. Henrick laid out a blanket and prepared to sleep, only to get up and collect firewood after receiving an earful of nagging from Shaneth.

Their food situation was not bad, as it had only been a day since they left the city.
They enjoyed a scrumptious meal of pancakes, smoked ham, bread, cheese, and soup.

Henrick could not hide his admiration at the sight of the food Shaneth had prepared.
He remarked, “I thought you looked like a miss who wouldn’t even know how to use a kettle, but I guess your cooking skills aren’t bad at all.”

“You praise me too much,” Shaneth replied.

“No no, your skills are comparable to the chefs at the royal palace.
Especially the soup; it’s really tasty.” Henrick gulped down several bowls of the soup before going over to his luggage looking for something.
He brought out a glass bottle with hard liquor sloshing in it.

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Kang Yoon-Soo held out his cup as if it were something they had previously agreed upon, saying, “Give me a cup.”

Henrick remarked, “Oho, this guy knows his stuff.
Drinking alone doesn’t taste good, after all.”

“Drink moderately; it’s not good for your health,” Shaneth nagged worriedly as the two men clinked their cups. She let out a sigh before tending to the campfire.
Suddenly, though, she asked Kang Yoon-Soo, “Don’t you think we have to introduce Mister Henrick to our other companions?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“‘Mister’? Why ‘mister’?! Call me oppa!” Henrick protested.[1]

Henrick was already blabbering in a drunken stupor.
He was a “normal” human, unlike Kang Yoon-Soo, so it was natural that he would be drunk after drinking that much.

Kang Yoon-Soo raised his right hand as he said in his usual dry, mundane tone, “Summon Sally.”

Flames started to gather in midair, manifesting into the form of a beautiful young girl. Henrick, after seeing Sally’s clothes made from fire, asked Kang Yoon-Soo in confusion, “You were a Spirit Summoner?”

Kang Yoon-Soo did not bother to reply.
However, Sally ran toward him and looked at him with teary eyes, asking, “Papa, where’s my sibling?”

“Later,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Hing…! Then play with Sally!” Sally started to cry, but Shaneth hugged her and calmed her down.

Henrick was stunned by the scene unfolding in front of him. He remarked, “I’ve seen countless people who had contracts with spirits, but it’s my first time seeing someone appease a crying spirit.”

However, it was too early to be surprised, as Kang Yoon-Soo called forth another summon. “Summon White.”

“Grrrrr…!” White growled.

Henrick sobered up instantly. It was natural for him to become alert when a silver-white werewolf suddenly appeared before his eyes out of nowhere.
He tensed up as he reached for the summoning box in his coat pocket.

However, White had already pledged its loyalty to Kang Yoon-Soo.
The werewolf sat beside Kang Yoon-Soo like a docile puppy, and the man began stroking its fur as if it were a house pet.

“Grrrr…” The werewolf let out a low growl.
It was not a growl of rebelliousness; rather, it simply felt good from having its fur stroked.
Kang Yoon-Soo took out a piece of meat from his backpack, throwing it toward White.
White jumped to catch the meat and swallowed the whole piece, including the bones.

Henrick could not help but stare at the strange party composition before saying, “That’s an amazing group you have.
A Continental, a Traveler, a spirit, and a monster.
Hmm… Should I feel sorry that I’m so normal…?”

“No, Mister Henrick is quite the oddball too,” Shaneth replied.

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“Why? Aren’t I considered normal? No, wait… Maybe I‘m too handsome…?” Henrick mused.

“…” Shaneth said nothing.

“What’s with that disgusted look? This fragile middle-aged man will get hurt…” Henrick complained.
In any event, he had sobered up thanks to the appearance of the werewolf.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he shouted, “Get down!”

Shaneth, Sally, and White instinctively dropped low to the ground; the moment they ducked, numerous objects whistled past their heads—it was a rain of arrows. Several archers aimed at them from afar before letting more arrows loose.

“Grrrr…!” White growled from behind the bushes, having taken cover behind them due to its large frame.

Sally instantly extinguished her flames, as the fire would give away their position and make it easier for their enemies to target them in the dark.

Henrick whispered as he crouched, “Do you know what surprised me the most just now?”

“What is it?” Shaneth asked.

“Kang Yoon-Soo, that guy… He already ducked even before we took cover,” Henrick replied.

The two glared at Kang Yoon-Soo, who nonchalantly replied, “Well, you didn’t get hurt.”

“What a jerk,” Henrick muttered.

The arrows flew over their heads several more times.
There was no guarantee that they were hitting anything, but the arrows kept coming. Kang Yoon-Soo sent the two summons back to the summon dimension.
White was too big, and Sally’s flames made her an easy target for the arrows.

Henrick cursed under his breath before taking out his summoning box and saying, “Summon three runner dolls.”

Three wooden dolls popped out of the box.
These dolls had slender figures, as opposed to the combat doll he had summoned at the military training center in Riel.
Henrick imbued his mana into the threads connected to the three wooden dolls as he crouched, and the three wooden dolls all sprinted in different directions.

When their prey spread out in three different directions, the ambushers shouted in surprise.

“Kironuko!”

“Osikiradurin!”

1.
”Oppa” is what a girl would call an older brother in Korean.
It’s also widely used as a cute way for girls to address guys older than them, and in some cases, it’s used similarly to ‘daddy’ or ‘uncle’ in Western culture. ☜