Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: New Adventurer Bern (11) – Punishing a Mistake**

Blankah usually thought of Bern as an exceptionally composed person.

He didn’t flirt with female adventurers.

He never acted condescending or arrogant toward others.

He didn’t resort to cursing or crude jokes.

He always kept himself and his clothing clean and well-kept, never emanating unpleasant odors.

While some might say this is basic decency, in the world of adventurers, the number of people who followed such simple principles could be counted on one hand.

How else would the Guild’s hiring criteria place so much importance on “the absence of a dirty mouth” when recruiting receptionists?

Though he might have believed his actions were appropriate for an adventurer, from Blankah’s point of view, Bern’s every gesture screamed someone raised in privilege.

“Can’t you tell the difference between conversation and threats, you idiot?”

Thus, when a sharp, unfiltered torrent of curses erupted from Bern’s lips, Blankah was perhaps the most shocked of anyone present.

Bern’s demeanor was extremely hostile, and the naked fury in his eyes was unmistakable. His bearing now was completely different from the half-joking attitude he’d exuded when he had previously been taunted.

“…Idiot? Are you talking to me? Can you back up that statement?”

However, the tension escalated equally from Karina’s side and her companions.

Karina had always tried her best to avoid conflicts with adventurers of uncertain strength, but this was not because she considered herself likely to lose to Bern—it was a typical adventurer’s mindset of exercising caution when faced with unknown risks.

Besides, retreating after such a public insult here might make Karina’s group a laughingstock among adventurers.

“You should choose your words carefully. There’s only so much leniency for a rookie.”

For better or worse, Karina’s capabilities as a mage were real. When she channeled her mana, a chill, as if the area had suddenly slipped into winter’s icy grasp, descended over the previously warm spring day.

Even the casual onlookers who had intended to merely spectate now found themselves stiffening.

Speech and even minor movements of fingertips required several times more effort than usual.

Blankah’s face paled.

She understood that Karina wasn’t casting any specific spell—this was an effect purely from the mana she was projecting.

The Adventurer’s Guild divides adventurers into seven ranks, but even among the Guild, only a few have ever reached the fifth rank. The seven-tier ranking system is applied across the continent to assess an individual’s abilities.

Among these ranks, the number four held great significance.

Some even claim it is the threshold between man and superhuman.

Warriors begin emitting ki, priests can channel the divine powers of their deities, and mages experience a significant rise in the potency and efficiency of their magic due to the innate properties of their mana.

Though Bern wasn’t unaware of the strength of a fourth-ranked mage, especially a cold-attribute mage who is notoriously difficult in direct combat, he was still hopelessly outnumbered, as Karina was accompanied by several companions at least upper-third rank or higher.

Blankah tried to intervene urgently but was dismayed to find her body paralyzed by the cold.

All she could do was weakly grab the edge of Bern’s cloak.

Bern glanced back at her.

“It’s fine.”

It was a short response, yet brimming with conviction.

Leaving the frozen Blankah behind, Bern stepped closer to Karina.

Karina frowned and summoned an icicle to hurl at him.

Swish!

Instead of grazing Bern’s cheek as originally intended, it was deftly caught in Bern’s hand.

“How…?”

Karina was momentarily startled by Bern’s incredible reflexes despite the harsh cold but dismissed it as mere luck. Touching anything metallic or icy directly in such extreme temperatures would instantly cause skin to tear or peel off.

She summoned three more icicles this time.

Even with both hands occupied, Bern was supposed to be overwhelmed.

She had no intention of outright killing him but knew he’d surely suffer for several days.

However, Karina’s assumptions once again proved wrong.

Bern casually spread out his supposedly frozen right hand and casually gestured to catch all three icicles, wedging them neatly between his fingers as if they were darts.

Lifting the icicles up for Karina to see, Bern tightly clenched his fist, shattering them effortlessly.

Karina took a step back while her two warrior companions moved forward to take her place.

“Hey, this kid seriously thinks he can fight us, huh?”

“Hmp.”

One of the warriors, with a brash demeanor, was eager to respond to Karina’s earlier insult to Blankah. The other, a bearded man looking reluctant but dutiful, took his stance with a sigh.

Most adventurers wore some leather or fabric armor that only covered vital areas, but these two warriors were clad in full chainmail and plated armor. Their lack of hesitation in such freezing temperatures suggested they also had means to resist the cold.

These were warriors any minor fief would consider valuable. Their confidence wasn’t entirely misplaced.

Yet Bern stepped forward, without any evident concern.

“You insolent brat!”

Angered by Bern’s composure, the brash warrior swung his longsword with intent to kill this time.

While Karina had at least aimed to target non-lethal spots, this attack aimed for bloodshed.

Again, Bern extended his hand.

The crowd prepared to witness blood spurting—but the sword failed to even scratch his skin.

“No… way!”

The brash warrior struggled wildly to wrench his weapon free but to no avail. When Bern flicked his wrist upward, the longsword was smoothly pulled from the warrior’s grip.

Bern grasped it as though its blade were the handle.

The brash warrior seemed disbelieving, but the other companions weren’t standing idle.

“Wha—”

The bearded warrior swung a large iron mace at Bern’s side, while the thief, appearing from behind, lunged with a dagger toward Bern’s back. Overhead, a massive icicle prepared to crush him.

It was a coordinated assault befitting seasoned adventurers.

Still, it was ineffective against Bern.

“Urggh!”

The brash warrior was the first to fall, his own sword—specifically, the hilt and guard—used to strike his shoulder, driving deep into his body.

With the force of the impact, Bern spun himself upward using the momentum to dodge the mace and dagger.

The thief was next.

Bern kicked the massive icicle to shatter it, then used the falling momentum to land on the thief’s head, grabbing it and slamming it to the ground.

A sickening crunch echoed as the thief convulsed once, then went limp.

The bearded warrior came third.

After dodging another icicle with a flick of his head, Bern sent the warrior flying with a kick to his torso.

The warrior slammed against a wall and lay there, limbs shaking but unable to move.

Fourth was the healer standing idly from a distance.

Unlike the others, the healer seemed less capable, fumbling with healing magic only now. This starkly contrasted with Karina, who had been repeatedly casting spells and preparing ice walls to block Bern’s path.

Bern shattered the ice wall with a swift kick and hurled the resulting shards at the healer.

The healer fell with a croaked cry, unable to mount any notable defense.

Finally, Karina.

After realizing the futility of her magic, she trembled, any fight in her seemingly extinguished.

To her, Bern addressed, “Still think this is all hearsay? Do you still believe we fabricated accomplishments for no reason? Unless your head’s full of cotton and not brains, you should understand. We have no reason to. If we need achievements, our abilities suffice.”

Though Bern’s eyes and words were aimed at Karina, the spectators felt an unrelated chill.

Because despite Guild recognition, there were many adventurers who doubted the accomplishments of Bern and Blankah.

The words Bern spoke now felt like a warning directed at every gossiping ear.

Yet, the pressure those eavesdroppers felt was nothing compared to Karina’s encounter with Bern’s piercing gaze.

Even having met members of the only 5th-rank party within the Adventurer’s Guild, Karina found herself encountering a feeling far beyond what they could evoke with mere looks.

Finally, she stammered, “I, I’m sorry!”

“Are you?”

“I’m sorry…!”

At last, a wisp of a smile returned to Bern’s cold features.

Karina, relieved she was alive, revealed a look of joy.

Then Bern reverted to his usual calm and polite tone.

“Then I suppose you need a fitting punishment for your wrongdoing.”

Huh?

Karina’s reply was cut off before it left her lips as she was lifted into the air, her body spinning before being slammed into a nearby trash bin for food waste.

Bern glanced around momentarily.

From an outsider’s glance, it seemed like Bern had equally demolished the entire party of five. In reality, he had dealt far more severely with the offensive warrior and the thief who had attacked to kill, while showing relative restraint with the others.

According to his own standards, the punishments were proportionate.

Still, Bern was aware his judgments might not always be entirely correct.

Thus, he approached Blankah to inquire.

“Is there anyone else here who deserves further punishment? A specific percentage of how much more someone should be thrashed would be helpful.”

“That’s… insane…”

Blankah, a rational person, almost voiced her true thoughts but recalled that this being—despite everything—was technically her savior.

“Ah, this is enough. Thank you.”

“I see. My judgment remains valid, then. Hmm.”

Bern nodded in apparent satisfaction.

His eyes remained so clear and tranquil that neither Blankah nor any of the spectators could think of a word to say.

[How can someone who acts this perfect be treated as a crown prince? Ah, his frustrations have nowhere else to go, so he directs it outward.]

No one could discern this insight amid the chaos.

—

[End of Chapter]