Chapter 11
Chapter 011. The Ruin Village (1)
“Phew, is that the place?”
After walking for quite a while, Anagin climbed to the top of a hill and muttered to himself as he gazed past the horizon.
At the end of his sight, a shimmering river wound its way through the land, and beyond it stretched a large, colorful village.
It was a settlement made up of tents and temporary buildings, backed by a small mountain. It seemed that it must be the ‘Ruin Village.’
A temporary town that forms near the Ruin. It looked like he had finally arrived at the Ruin that City Lord Rio had spoken of.
“Ruin, huh…”
Anagin murmured as he took a step forward, recalling his conversation with Rio.
That man, who had first asked him to act as his backing, had gone on to ask if Anagin knew anything about the Ruins once things went smoothly. Then he explained that a newly discovered Ruin had been found nearby.
Anakin, having no idea what that was, asked what a Ruin was. He'd only been outside the city for about a day, and the old man he called 'Master' had never told him.
‘Now that I think about it, that really pisses me off. What kind of person is that old man? He didn’t teach me anything properly... Or did I just not listen?’
That was, admittedly, possible.
He’d had no interest in stories about the outside world, only half-listening and letting the rest go in one ear and out the other.
A bit of regret stirred; maybe he should have paid attention, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He could always learn properly from now on.
Anyway, Rio had explained what Ruins were. They were a kind of training ground for practitioners.
Places where many trials and dangers lay dormant, and practitioners would challenge those Ruins to elevate their rank.
‘What kind of nonsense is that?’
That had been Anagin’s honest reaction.
It wasn’t like suffering makes you youthful or something, so why would anyone willingly walk into danger and hardship just to “grow stronger”? It made absolutely no sense to him. As if words alone made it true.
Fortunately, Rio had agreed with him. He, too, didn’t believe that pointless suffering automatically led to progress.
‘But it’s not just suffering, it may seem like it, but there’s reward in it.’
‘Reward?’
‘There are all kinds of treasures lying dormant in the Ruins.’
It turned out that Ruins weren’t only filled with trials and dangers. If one overcame them and ventured deep enough, they could find treasures—ranging from basic ones like jewels and gold, to abstract ones like the blessings of gods, ancient magic, magical tools, and relics.
‘I’ve never seen them myself since I’m not a practitioner, but it’s common knowledge that such treasures exist. Otherwise, those shrewd and greedy practitioners wouldn’t risk their lives entering Ruins.’
Only then did Anagin feel a spark of interest in the place.
He had no intention of begging a god for a blessing, but seizing a blessing through strength? That was a different story.
If he could obtain a god’s blessing by his own power, that wasn’t begging. And besides that, things like ancient magic, magical tools, and relics piqued his curiosity as well.
He had never seen real magic before, and as for magical tools, the only one he knew was his Interspatial Bag.
Either way, holding on to that curiosity, Anagin reached the river just in front of the Ruin Village that City Lord Rio had mentioned.
The river gleamed silver under the sunlight. It flowed calmly and looked peaceful at first glance, but it was wide—too wide to cross without help.
Just then, a small ferry approached, and the boatman called out to him.
“Hey there, young man. Trying to cross the river? I’ll take you over for a single olive silver coin.”
Anagin studied the boatman. The man looked frail, weathered by years of wind and tide, and his boat looked just as worn.
“No, thanks. If I get on, that thing’s going to sink.”
“One more passenger won’t sink her. And don’t even think about haggling. I’m not overcharging, it’s a fair price. Plenty of customers today, so one silver’s cheap enough.”
Just as the boatman said, there were quite a few people nearby who looked like they were also headed to the Ruin Village. Still, the boatman’s assumption was wrong.
Anagin had refused not because of the price, but because it really did look like it would sink if he boarded. Not wanting to waste words, he simply leapt straight into the river.
The boatman yelped in surprise. The current wasn’t rough, but the river was deep enough that one could easily drown.
Splash!
But when Anagin hit the water, the boatman and everyone nearby looked even more shocked. Though he appeared of average build, the splash he made was enormous, like a massive boulder plunging into the river.
The onlookers stared into the spot where he had fallen. The water calmed after a moment, ripples fading… and then, on the opposite bank, Anagin emerged.
He had walked across the riverbed to the other side.
“Why do I feel like I keep ending up in the water lately?”
Anagin muttered as he shook the water from his clothes. Then he turned to take another look at the Ruin Village.
Up close, it was much larger than it had appeared from afar. True to its purpose as a marketplace catering to practitioners, the whole place was lively and noisy with merchants and touts shouting for attention.
“Wow! Are you a Hero, sir? Have you decided where to stay yet?!”
“Hungry? We’re selling bread! It’s delicious!!”
“Welcome, traveler! Would you like a lucky charm to help with your expedition?”
“Need someone to carry your luggage? I’m strong!”
A group of hawkers crowded around Anagin, chattering nonstop.
It was a common sight in the Ruin Village.
Most practitioners carried heavier purses than ordinary folk, and everyone here was eager to lighten those purses by any means necessary. Thanks to City Lord Rio’s earlier explanation, Anagin wasn’t particularly surprised by their aggressive enthusiasm.
But something felt… off.
‘Why are they all kids? And why’s this village so big?’
He frowned, glancing from the young hawkers to the sprawling town. He had heard that the size of a Ruin Village usually matched the number of visitors, yet this one was far larger and busier than he expected.
Sure, maybe there were lots of visitors, but that didn’t make much sense either.
From what Anagin had heard, Anapik was a kind of remote borderland. Few people lived here, and naturally, few would come just to visit a Ruin site. At least, that’s what Rio had told him.
Unless the Ruin here was already famous, which it wasn’t, it was unnatural for a settlement of this scale to have sprung up so quickly.
Even Anagin, unfamiliar as he was with the area, could tell something was strange.
“Hey, kids.”
The young hawkers, who had been noisily shouting a moment ago, fell silent when Anagin finally spoke.
“Is there a butchery here? A monster butchery?”
Monster Butchery.
As the name suggests, a place where slain monsters are processed. There was always at least one or two near any Ruins that produced monsters.
Such places bought the corpses of monsters from practitioners at high prices, processed the materials, and resold them. The workers there tended to know quite a bit about monsters as well.
The children blinked, surprised by the unusual question. Strangers rarely asked about that sort of thing on their first visit. After exchanging confused glances, one of them finally pointed downstream.
“If you go straight that way, you’ll see a red tent in the corner. That’s the place.”
“Thanks.”
As soon as he got his answer, Anagin pulled out a handful of coins and tossed them to the kids.
The shiny coins clattered to the ground, and the children scrambled to pick them up. To the one who had spoken, Anagin flicked a single silver coin as a proper reward, then started walking along the river toward the outer edge of the Ruin Village.
“It’s definitely an interesting place.”
Anagin couldn’t help but marvel as he passed through the vibrant maze of colorful tents.
Fish and skewered chicken sizzling over charcoal fires.
A huge pot bubbling with pork hocks.
A burly blacksmith hammering away at helmets, armor, swords, and spears.
Peddlers hawking ropes, lanterns, and dried provisions.
Alchemists and shamans selling suspicious potions and talismans.
Even the outer parts of the town, which should have been relatively quiet, were packed with merchants. In a way, it felt even more like a city than Dysis Polis, the one governed by City Lord Rio.
The energy, the chaos… it was impressive. And that’s what made it unsettling.
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made for a place like this to exist here.
‘Did Rio give me the wrong information?’
Anagin pondered for a moment, but soon dropped the thought. He had arrived at his destination.
The monster butchery.
It was a massive tent-like structure, so large it resembled a warehouse. From its ceiling hung countless serpent carcasses.
Beneath those monster bodies, broad-shouldered men worked with enormous knives and tongs.
Some stripped scales with sword-length blades, others hammered and peeled them off, pulled fangs with iron pincers, or chopped through flesh with axes the size of their torsos, then separated bone and meat with small, precise knives.
Blood and entrails from the monsters poured onto the ground, dyeing the nearby river a dark, bloody red.
“Careful, damn it! That’s all money you’re spilling! We’ve got to make every coin we can here, right?!”
A short, stocky man barked angrily at one of his workers who had made a mistake. He was barely half the height of most men, yet his shoulders and chest were twice as broad.
Anagin approached the short man and spoke up.
“Excuse me. Are you the owner here?”
“Huh?”
The short man frowned, clearly annoyed at being interrupted while working.
“Who the hell are you?”
“A customer. Came to sell something.”
The man’s expression soured even further.
“Watch your tone, kid. You talk short to me?”
“You did first.”
Anagin replied with a faint smirk.
The man’s brow furrowed even more, evidently taking offense at the remark. Just as he was about to retort, Anagin dropped the bag slung over his shoulder onto the ground.
Thud!
A deep, heavy sound rang out the moment it hit the floor.
“…What the—?”
“It’s supposed to sound like that. Don’t mind it.”
Anagin reassured the startled onlookers and began to open the bag. For reference, this was the Interspatial Bag that City Lord Rio had given him.
It was an item that had belonged to Rio’s father back in his caravan days. Before handing it over, Rio had explained:
‘It’s my father’s keepsake. You can store items of any size inside it. The capacity is virtually limitless, and it’s sturdy enough to withstand blades and axes. But… it’s not exactly a good item.’
‘Doesn’t sound bad to me.’
‘It has a fatal flaw.’
‘Which is?’
‘It weighs exactly as much as what you put in it.’
Rio had been honest about the bag’s one major defect.
Normally, an Interspatial Bag negated the weight of its contents, allowing one to carry vast amounts easily. But this one grew heavier the more you stored in it—meaning it only had half the convenience of a true Interspatial Bag.
Bender’s mocking words—“You’re being swindled”—had come to mind back then, but Anagin hadn’t cared.
After all, Bender was long dead, and the weight not disappearing actually suited him better.
The heavy thud had drawn everyone’s attention, and under their curious stares, Anagin calmly pulled out a bundle from the bag.
Given how loud the sound was, people expected something massive—but their anticipation quickly turned to disappointment when they saw the small bundle.
That disappointment didn’t last long, though. Once Anagin untied it, curiosity replaced it again.
“Does this count as a monster too?”
Inside the bundle were dozens of snakes, each as thick as a man’s finger.
At first glance, they didn’t seem special, but upon closer look, each snake had only one eye. A single, large eye embedded right in the center of its forehead.
“What the hell are these?”
Even the butchers, who were used to all sorts of monsters, looked puzzled and asked Anagin.
“How should I know? I caught them on the way here.”
On his journey from Dysis Polis to the Ruin Village, Anagin had felt something watching him—an unpleasant, crawling sensation along his back.
When he finally looked around, he found these snakes lurking in the bush, staring right at him. So he caught every last one of them.
Creepy little things.
“You think these are monsters, too?”
“They’re kind of small for that.”
“Yeah, and they’ve only got one eye!”
“Maybe they’re just deformed?”
The butchers poked and prodded the snakes, trading uncertain opinions.
Apparently, none of them recognized the species either.
Just as the curiosity started to fade, the short butcher spoke again.
“You selling these?”
“If you’ll buy them. Do you know what they are?”
“Not exactly, but they look like artificial monsters to me.”
“Artificial monsters?”
“Yeah. Monsters created through magic or alchemy. From their uniform appearance, I’d say they were made for a specific purpose…”
“And things like that just crawl around on the roadside?”
“Clumsy mages drop their creations all the time. Doesn’t look too dangerous, so you got lucky.”
“Doesn’t feel like luck to me.”
If he’d really been lucky, he would’ve met that careless mage himself. Still, perhaps that was a meeting saved for another time, if fate willed it.
“How much do you want for them?”
“Dunno. You planning to rip me off?”
“Watch your mouth. I don’t cheat my scales, kid.”
“Then pay me what you think is fair. I don’t like haggling.”
Anagin’s answer was cool, almost arrogant.
The short butcher scowled at him for a moment, then motioned to one of his men to fetch something from the safe. A heavy pouch was brought over and dropped in front of Anagin with a solid thunk.
“Oh…”
The bag looked and sounded heavy. Anagin let out a short whistle.
“Guess artificial monsters fetch a good price?”
“You’re getting a good deal because it’s me. I know a few mages who’ll pay well for research material. Are you a practitioner who came to conquer the Ruin?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t look like an idiot, but still, watch yourself. You seem like a rookie.”
“Damn… does it show that much?”
Anagin groaned, and the short man snorted.
“You’re young, your gear’s light, and you don’t even bother bargaining. That’s all I need to see.”
“I just don’t do things that feel like a waste of time.”
“Arrogant, huh? Whatever. Just don’t get yourself killed. The Ruin is dangerous, inside and out.”
“Can’t say I agree, but sure. You’re a lot kinder than you look.”
“A customer’s still a customer. Keep that pouch close, lots of folks around here would slit your throat for half of what’s in it.”
The short butcher gave one last warning. Despite his gruff manner, there was a hint of concern in his tone. Maybe Anagin had sold him something better than he realized.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Anagin slung the pouch over his shoulder and headed deeper into the village.
Just as the butcher had said, the Ruin Village wasn’t exactly safe. Every stall and shop had a guard posted nearby, big, muscular types with scars and mean eyes. Where there were no guards, the merchants themselves were armed.
Where money flowed, thieves followed.
He even spotted beggars and pickpocket-looking kids in ragged clothes watching the crowds, waiting for an opportunity. It made sense now why the place felt so tense.
By the time the bustle of the village began to bore him, Anagin found himself staring at a small mountain rising behind the settlement.
The forested slope was steep, with a winding trail leading upward. At the top of that path stood an old stone archway—clearly the entrance to the Ruin.
“But what are those guys?”
He noticed something strange: armed men standing guard around the entrance. They didn’t look like practitioners.
‘Not that I’d even know what a real practitioner’s supposed to look like.’
Since leaving the village, he’d encountered a few so-called practitioners, but none had left much of an impression.
No one made him think That’s it—that’s the real thing.
It was disappointing, honestly.
He’d hoped to learn by observing a capable practitioner’s methods, but as City Lord Rio had said.
‘A practitioner worth learning from? Hard to say. I’m no expert, but genuine ones are rare these days. Most are just pretenders putting on a show.’
It was a depressing thought.
Anagin shook his head and focused on the present.
He had to decide whether to go into the Ruin right now or rest for the night and go tomorrow.
“Hey, brother.”
A voice came from behind, along with an arm thrown casually over his shoulder.
The man was neatly dressed, with long black hair tied back behind his head. He grinned amiably.
“You here to challenge the Ruin too?”
“Yeah.”
“Ha! Then you’re lucky, meeting me.”
“Why?”
“You can’t just waltz in there anymore. You need a recommendation from someone trustworthy. And that someone’s me.”
“Heh. Is that so? Then you must know this village pretty well, too, huh?”
“Ah, finally someone who gets it! Of course I do. You got questions? Ask away, I know everything worth knowing.”
“Before I ask, I’ve got one thing to deal with first.”
The man froze, sensing something wrong in the weight of that grip.
“…My shoulder’s starting to hurt. What exactly do you need to ‘deal with’?”
“The sound of that little gear spinning in your head. I hate noisy things.”
Anagin smiled and clenched his fist.