Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 8 - Word-of-Mouth (2)

Early morning, bordering on the edge of dawn.

A crowd had gathered around the dueling stage set up in the town square.

As befitting a frontier town, there were soldiers, of course, as well as the miners and prostitutes who made up the majority of the residents, and even the few merchants.

Of course, I was one of these merchants.

Since no one would be interested in a shabby inn in a corner of the town anyway.

From dawn, I made a ton of Fondue Bread, packed it in a bundle, and tried to act like a peddler.

And the result was, hmm.

— You crazy bastard. This is just rock bread.

— You're trying to sell this crap for 5 copper coins? Piss off!

I could understand the visual repulsion, but at the same time, I felt disappointed and annoyed.

'It would be different if they just ate it.'

But I couldn't lower the price either.

Considering the cost of ingredients, anything less than 5 copper coins was out of the question.

'Haa. Is having no talent for marketing just genetic?'

I was in no position to criticize my father for being bad at business.

In the end, I gave up on selling.

And now, I had resorted to watching the martial arts demonstration next to Jeros.

The demonstration duels were an enjoyable spectacle.

To the point where I thought, 'So this is why ancient Rome had the Colosseum'.

Waaaaaaaaaah!

A match had just concluded, and the people let out a roar.

“Oh. The 2nd Squad Leader really won.”

Jeros, strangely, was predicting the outcomes of the duels with uncanny accuracy.

He had predicted the 2nd Squad Leader's victory before it even began, and he had been doing so for the previous matches as well.

“Hmph. You just know by looking.”

It was amazing to me, but Jeros was indifferent as if it were no big deal.

And so, the victor and the loser descended from the stage,

and the voice of the emcee running the demonstration continued.

“Now, for our next duel~! We will have the leader of Guard Squad 1, Kale~! And the leader of Squad 2, Ralph~!”

It was finally Ralph's turn.

How much in sales had that man brought me all this time.

With a tense face, I shouted towards Ralph as he climbed onto the stage.

“You can win, Ralph!!”

'Because you have to win for my shop to get promoted!'

But unlike me, who had gotten fired up, the crowd's reaction was chillingly cold.

The atmosphere was completely different from the previous duels.

“That big-jawed Squad Leader and Kale?”

“Didn't he get crushed last time without being able to do a thing?”

“I thought it was cool and refreshing to watch him get beaten one-sidedly.”

Just how miserably must he have been crushed last time for the atmosphere to be like this.

Furthermore, the gambling dealers also seemed to be taking it easy.

“Bets for Kale are closed. Kale is closed.”

Just as the modern world has sports betting, there was no way a medieval martial arts demonstration wouldn't have gambling on the outcomes.

While so many dealers were taking it easy,

“Anyone betting on Ralph? Anyone for Ralph?!”

As a kid dealer was earnestly touting for customers, a soldier casually asked.

“Not taking bets for Kale?”

“Bets for Kale closed as soon as they opened at dawn.”

“Dammit.”

“How about betting on Ralph instead? The payout is a whopping 30 times!”

“Hmm, 30 times, you say?”

The soldier pretended to think for a moment, then went on his way.

It seemed that even with a 30x payout, he wasn't interested.

Anyway, 30 times.

There's no long shot quite like this one.

“Sir Outsider.”

“Huh?”

Before I knew it, the kid dealer was right in front of me, looking up.

The other dealers didn't even come near Jeros.

“You were cheering for Ralph a moment ago, so how about placing a bet on him?”

Ah, so that's why he came to me.

A 30x payout for Ralph's victory.

“Hmm……”

As I hesitated and glanced at Jeros, the kid dealer jumped in surprise and asked.

“W-W-Wait a moment. Sir Outsider, are you this person's, that is, Jeros's friend?”

“Strictly speaking, we're not friends.”

But the kid dealer, his face pale, bowed his head deeply.

“I-I'm sorry. Please forget what I said.”

the kid dealer said as he disappeared as if running away.

At that, I stared blankly at Jeros and asked.

“Jeros. Just how much have you ripped them off?”

“Heh heh. Who knows.”

It was obvious without even asking.

He probably sucked them dry and got himself put on the blacklist.

Anyway, the crowd, the gamblers, to think the atmosphere would be this one-sided.

“Do you also think Ralph is at a big disadvantage, Jeros?”

“No.”

Hmm? No?

“Then? Who do you think will win?”

Jeros answered with a straight face.

“I don't know.”

“Huh?”

Since this was the Jeros who had been guessing who would win with uncanny accuracy until now, I couldn't help but be surprised by his answer that he didn't know.

“Originally, if the hierarchy is different, it's not a match. That's why he got his ass kicked like a dog last time, but recently, Ralph has broken out of his shell.”

So after eating so much and training, it seems his rank has gone up.

That's a relief, but—

“Even if their ranks are the same now, wouldn't there be a difference right after leveling up?”

“Hmm. I wonder.”

Am I wrong?

In the game 'Belkazium', even at the same level, there was bound to be a difference in skill proficiency right after leveling up.

“Well, generally speaking, you might be right. But you have to calculate the other variables.”

“……Ah! So you've calculated in the buff effect of my food.”

Since he would have eaten the Fondue Bread before going on stage.

“There's that, and if you calculate everything, I'd say it's 50-50. Though I'm giving him a lot of credit. Heh heh.”

If it's 50-50, then contrary to the crowd's expectations, isn't this a fight worth watching?

If he wins, I have to immediately start promoting the Fondue Bread.

Please, please win.

And also,

The prediction gambling was worth a shot.

If you can get a 30x payout with a 50% chance, isn't the expected value 15 times?

You'd be a fool not to bet.

Having thought this far,

“Just a moment, Jeros. I'll be right back.”

“Heh heh. Betting on a 50% chance, you've got some nerve.”

I immediately went up to the kid dealer.

The kid was still wandering around, looking for someone to bet on Ralph.

“Hey kid, wait a minute!”

“Yes?”

The kid dealer flinched upon seeing me again, but,

“Take this. I'm betting on Ralph's victory.”

I quickly pressed 15 copper coins, the emergency money I had brought just in case, into the kid's hand.

“But friends of Jeros aren't allowed……”

“Even if I'm betting on Ralph? And I told you, I'm not Jeros's friend.”

The kid looked back and forth between the copper coins in his hand and my face, contemplating,

Scribble, scribble.

And wrote something on a red, chopstick-like piece of wood and gave it to me.

Ralph victory, 12 copper coins

“Huh? But I gave you 15 copper coins.”

“3 coins are the betting fee.”

Wait a minute.

“W-What did you say?”

Is it right for them to take such a big cut?

I was about to argue right away, but the kid dealer had already taken the opportunity of my confusion to run away.

“Hah.”

I thought about chasing him down to argue, but I didn't really want to do that to a kid.

'Is this what they mean by getting robbed blind?'

Swallowing a sigh, I was about to return to Jeros,

When I saw that Ralph was already on the demonstration stage, facing a young, orange-haired bastard.

So that's Kale.

However,

The crowd began to murmur as they saw what was in Ralph's hand.

The thing he was holding, which was incredibly embarrassing for someone about to engage in a duel, was—

“Isn't that rock bread?”

“It is rock bread.”

Um.

It's not rock bread, it's Fondue Bread.

While the large crowd was stirring,

CRUNCH!

Ralph took a large bite of the rock bread…… no, the Fondue Bread.

“……”

For a moment, silence fell over the square, and the sound of the sugar coating shattering echoed across the square.

Crisp.

The crowd at the demonstration, and even the emcee.

They were frozen by the unexpected situation, but Jeros was busy snickering.

“Heh heh heh. You're back, Ian. Did you make your bet?”

“I did. By the way…… Ralph is really something else.”

He could have just eaten it before getting on stage, but did he have to do it now?

Did he want to save even one second of the buff?

Hmm. In any case, it's not bad for me.

If Ralph wins like this, the advertising effect for the Fondue Bread will be even greater.

While everyone was captivated by Ralph's eating broadcast,

“Big-jaw, you seem to have gone completely insane.”

The stiff face of the orange-haired Kale slowly contorted.

He must have felt that he was being insulted.

But Ralph ignored Kale's words, finished the bread, and pulled his right foot back, assuming a ready stance.

An unwavering sword, stance, and gaze.

Jeros, reading the atmosphere, muttered.

“Not bad. Heh heh.”

The crowd, too, began to stir.

“Something…… something seems different.”

“No way, has the big-jawed Squad Leader's rank gone up?”

“Nah, no way. At his age?”

But despite this stirring, Ralph was unmoving,

“……”

Kale, gripping his sword hilt with eyes full of rage, said.

“It seems your rank has gone up, haha. Perfect. I won't have to go easy on you like last time.”

Shwing.

“I'll turn you into a cripple!”

Before his words could even end, Kale rushed at Ralph, and the emcee hurriedly shouted.

“L-Let the duel be~giiiiin!!!”

Immediately, the sound of sparring swords clashing rang out.

Clang, clang. Cla—.

Ralph and Kale exchanged blows without backing down.

A dead-even situation where it was hard to determine even the slightest advantage.

After the two exchanged sword strikes for a long while,

CLANG!

They each took two steps back and glared at each other.

Only then did voices burst out from the previously silent crowd.

“Ralph reached the Hierarchy 3!?”

“Isn't he over forty? Is that possible at his age?”

“Fuck! I bet my entire fortune on Kale!”

The two resumed their exchange of blows.

'So that's the Hierarchy 3. It's completely different from the previous duels.'

In a game, level 3 would be the early stages, but seeing the Hierarchy 3 of this world, they were like superhumans.

'I can't even see a thing.'

At that, I focused my concentration even harder and put more 'strength into my eyes'.

Clang, clang. CLANG!

“……Ian.”

The level of their duel was clearly higher than the previous ones.

I felt like I might miss it if I wasn't careful—

Tap!

“Ian!”

Just then, someone grabbed my shoulder and shook it.

It was Jeros.

“Stop it.”

“What? Stop what?”

“Stop it if you don't want to become a cripple. Heh heh.”

“What is that supposed to……??”

Only then did my eyes begin to sting terribly.

Why do my eyes hurt so much?

I was just trying to take in the duel with my eyes.

“If you raise your eye power without knowing how to properly handle mana, your eyeballs might burst. Heh heh.”

Goosebumps crawled all over my skin at those words.

As if coming to a medieval fantasy wasn't enough, I almost went blind.

No, but wait a minute.

“Did I use mana?”

“……Are you asking because you don't know?”

My god.

According to Jeros, feeling and using mana was only possible if you were born with it.

'What a relief. That I can use mana!'

But how did I do it?

I tried to recall the sensation from a moment ago, but since he said I could go blind, I decided to stop.

And I focused again on the duel between Ralph and Kale.

Of course, I didn't strain my eyes like before.

Ching, clang!

And so, the sound of swords clashing, and the sound of those who bet on Kale swearing, mixed together for a long while.

“Heh heh. If it goes on like this, he'll lose in the end.”

Jeros muttered.

“Huh? What is that supposed to……?”

“The effect of your food is about to end, isn't it? Once that's gone, he'll start getting pushed back immediately. Heh heh.”

Is it already almost 30 minutes, dammit.

Ralph's gaze is too good for him to lose like this.

'Is it because the concentration buff is still active?'

If that's the case,

'I guess I have to use it.'

I hesitated because it costs 5pt to delete,

But it seemed I had no choice but to use the ability.

If Ralph loses or becomes a cripple, my sleep will be troubled.

'And more than anything, I'll be throwing away a promotional opportunity.'

If there's a way for him to win, I have to just use it.

'Shop Window. Regular Customer.'

Tring.

[Regular Customer]

--------(Regular Customer List)--------

< [1] Jeros Silver >

└ Intimacy : 65%

└ Buff Application Rate : Intimacy / 2 = 32.5%

< [2] >

└ Intimacy : %

└ Buff Application Rate : 친밀도 / 2 = %

Since I received Recognition twice on the day I first gave him the Fondue Bread a week ago,

it was possible to register him as a [Regular Customer].

'I don't know what his intimacy level will be, but it'll be higher than the buff application rate for general customers.'

At that, I pressed [2] on the Regular Customer system window.

< Proceeding with Regular Customer registration. >

< Providing a list of customers who have granted 'Recognition' 2 or more times. >

< Nagel Ralph >

I immediately pressed Ralph's name.

Deregistering costs 5pt, but fortunately, registering a regular customer was free.

< [2] Nagel Ralph >

└ Intimacy : 48%

└ Buff Application Rate : Intimacy / 2 = 24%

From now on, the buff application rate applied to him is 24%.

It did go up compared to the 15% for general customers.

But I can't quite gauge how much of a difference an increase of 9% is.

'Isn't that too insignificant?'

The moment that thought crossed my mind,

“Woah, woah, woah?!!”

“W-What the!!”

The crowd suddenly began to stir.

……

The big-jawed Squad Leader.

Or,

The old training fiend.

These were the nicknames for Granpn's Guard Squad Leader, Ralph.

Two weeks ago, he was dragged by Psycho Jeros to eat pumpkin soup.

After downing three bowls of the fantastic taste, he felt a strange, pleasant sensation.

A suitable condition for training.

It was a 'feeling' of being able to immerse himself well.

After that, it became his daily routine to eat pumpkin soup and then train.

The feeling continued even after he started eating the new menu item, 'Fondue Bread', a week ago.

Thanks to this, Ralph was able to experience the miracle of raising his hierarchy at a late age.

However,

Clang- Clang!

Now, as he dueled with Kale, the situation was a deadlock even though he had just eaten the Fondue Bread.

If that was the case, he would probably be defeated as time went on.

As he swung his sword, searching for a way to win somehow,

'!'

Suddenly, the path of Kale's sword began to look clearer in Ralph's eyes.

That 'feeling' he had felt when eating the pumpkin soup and Fondue Bread was now hitting him more intensely.

'No. This isn't just a simple feeling.'

At the same time as he saw the path of Kale's sword, Ralph's own sword became distinctly faster.

This was, as if, enveloping Ralph's body like 'buff magic'.