That bard is such a charmer!

Chapter 37 Those who abandon everything will also be abandoned by everything.

"Don't even think about it!"

Jostein, as expected of a former captain, was experienced and noticed Richard's movements at the last moment, quickly dodging to the side.

After regaining his footing, he patted his face, realizing he hadn't abruptly considered Richard a friend, and said thankfully, "Ha, you missed!"

Oh, did you really miss?

As he looked at the words in front of him, his eyebrows arched.

You successfully charmed the strongman's brass-headed belt.

[The Strongman's Copper-Headed Leather Belt: Standing at my height, all I see every day are other people's butts. After reviewing thousands upon thousands of butts, I've developed some superfluous emotions.]

I want to draw them!

[Strike them until their skin is torn and bleeding! Strike their owners until they spin like tops!]

Stranger, you've woken me up, and I'm grateful. But if you want me to do something for you, you have to answer one question: Are you willing to use me to spank other people?

[If I select ten people, I'll give you anything!]

Very good, very proactive, very open... but also very perverted.

Fortunately, I am a poet, and I have a high tolerance for tolerance.

Richard grinned and said without hesitation:

"I do!"

Upon hearing this, Jostein paused for a moment, not quite understanding what Richard was trying to say.

Why are you the only one willing? I'm fighting with you, not proposing to you!

His belt responded enthusiastically:

【Very good!】

From now on, I will be loyal to you!

The next second, it quietly unbuttoned itself...

Its owner, however, was completely unaware of this.

At this moment, Jostein was most concerned about the battle between Grace and Duru.

After taking a few more glances, he confirmed that Duru was about to be defeated, and Richard's teammate would soon turn around and deal with him, at which point he would be doomed!

In a split second, Jostein made a decision.

He wants to abandon Dulu as well.

Just like how he abandoned Richard, his brother, and his mercenaries.

It's just a mere follower from another world; what if it's gone?

As long as I'm alive, that's enough!

With this in mind, Jostein weighed his options again, then threw his cheap sword, which he had carried for many years, at Richard to distract him and lighten his own load. He then started running towards the nearby woods.

Just then...

Slip!

Without the belt to restrain him, his pants fell down, revealing his pale thighs and gray shorts.

To make matters worse, the pants and belt that had fallen down got stuck between his knees, effectively turning into a pair of shackles that locked his legs, causing him to lose his balance and fall face down to the ground with a thud!

Jostein: ?!

Richard: Hehe~

Although Grace had commented that Richard's melee skills were inferior to those of a proper warrior... well, if that proper warrior was already on the ground, that would be a different story.

In short, he had no intention of giving up the opportunity that came his way, so he immediately drew his sword and launched a flurry of attacks!

In an instant, a shimmering silver light enveloped Jostein's upper body.

But Jostein was ultimately a level 5 warrior.

Faced with the crisis, he gritted his teeth and used some kind of talent or expertise, which suddenly increased his speed. He actually reached out his left hand, which was pierced through the arm armor, and managed to grab the blade through Richard's chaotic sword moves!

This nearly severed his hand, but it also gave him a chance to catch his breath, allowing him to grip the hilt of his sword with his intact right hand, aim at Richard's ankle, and slash horizontally!

This attack brought together Jostein's last strength, and even if Richard's shield was still intact, it might not be able to withstand it!

Unfortunately, at this gambling table, Jostein's opponent had a stroke of luck...

when!

The next second, because the expensive new sword was ten centimeters longer than the cheap old sword that Jostein had discarded, he subconsciously misjudged the distance and accidentally struck a small stone at Richard's feet.

As it turned out, the sword was indeed of good quality, capable of splitting deep crevices in stone, but it wasn't good enough, so it failed to achieve its intended purpose and instead got stuck in the crevices.

Now, Jostein was at a loss.

Richard then seized the opportunity to launch a second flurry of attacks, first completely severing Jostan's left hand, and then severing his right arm that was holding the sword, thus disarming him.

"what!"

A scream rang out along with blood, and Jostan lost his fighting ability!

Just then.

Grace, who was on the other side, had also finished her fight. She came to Richard and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had defeated her opponent ahead of time. She gave him a thumbs up.

Then she watched quietly, leaving Richard's enemy to himself.

Richard, sword in hand, approached the direction where Jostein's face was directly in front of him.

Jostein looked up at Richard's face, unable to believe that this was his end.

He was clearly the stronger one...

He kicked the poet off the carriage, obtained the dragon's treasure, and bought everything he needed!

Why did he lose everything again after only a month, while the person in front of him who should have died became so strong that he could beat him to the ground?

Damn it, why!

No, I don't want this ending!

There was no other way but to beg for mercy. Dignity was something to be abandoned!

Jostein, battling the pain, used his last ounce of strength to say, "Can we reconcile? For the sake of our shared battles, please, spare me. I know I repent, I can repent..."

Above, Richard raised his sword, but did not move for a moment.

Jostein felt hopeful and continued:

"You're a bard; don't you poets often tell stories like that?"

"After killing their enemies, avengers feel an emptiness inside, losing the meaning of life!"

"Therefore, the right choice is to forgive him, pardon him, and follow the merciful will of God..."

Pfft!

Before Jostein could finish speaking, Richard's sword came crashing down.

The sword plunged straight into his throat, ending the warrior's life.

"What are you babbling about?"

"You think I'm hesitating? I'm just aiming for the gaps in your armor."

"As for emptiness... ha, what a joke, I'm bursting with fulfillment right now!"

[Kill a level 5 warrior, experience points +20]

[Kill a higher-level enemy, gain an extra 5 experience points]

[You have accumulated enough experience. Would you like to upgrade your job level?]

Promote me! Promote me!

Your bard level has been increased to 4.

Your Charm has increased by 1 point, and you have gained 1 free attribute point.

[You have learned a 2nd-tier spell: Shattering Sound Wave - You designate a point within 20 meters, from which a deafening noise will erupt, and everything within a 3-meter radius of that point will be damaged by the thunder.]

Remarks:

"People are always vulnerable when they're on the toilet, especially after my owner threw a shattering sonic boom right under their butt." — Pluto, the good dog who loves to fly

Shattering sound waves...

Come to think of it, this seems to be the first purely offensive spell I've mastered, right? And it's not even a targeted spell, but an area-of-effect attack!

If he had had this trick up his sleeve before, he wouldn't have needed to outwit Jostein.

Two consecutive shattering sonic waves will leave you half-crippled within a six-meter radius!

After a moment of joy, Richard wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it.

Grace chuckled and teased, "Are you satisfied now?"

Richard laughed and replied, "Not even close. That's just the first one. I'm a petty person; I won't be truly satisfied until I've dealt with the rest."

Even so, he still savored the pleasure he had just experienced, and then recalled the despair he felt when his teammates threw him off the carriage and left him alone to face the shadow of the red dragon, which made the pleasure even more enjoyable.

Repay kindness with kindness and repay injustice with justice. Even in another world, this is an irrefutable principle!

After a moment, Richard took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

Then he crouched down and began cleaning up the battlefield.

After finally winning a battle, how can we not loot the corpses?

Especially this Mr. Jostein, his drop rate is visibly high!

Richard quickly unearthed a large pile of spoils.

Including Hercules brass-headed belts.

A one-handed cross-shaped sword sharp enough to cut through dragon scales.

A steel half-body armor that matches the helmet and provides a slight increase in spell resistance.

And a cloth bag that was clearly enchanted with spatial magic; I think it should be called a dimensional bag...