By the Grace of the Gods

Today, two chapters are posted simultaneously.

This is the first chapter.

A giant man appeared from deep within the forest, carrying a hammer on his shoulder... If the stories from the people at the front-line base were true, he was Glen, an S-rank adventurer. Known by the nickname "Rampaging Dragon," he was a stalwart who rose through sheer strength alone to a rank only achievable after a long career and many accomplishments.

What I knew about him was only what I had heard from adults in the ghost town. But at that time, Mr. Seaver said, "I was once called the strongest knight in history, but that man is probably the strongest in the modern era."

Apparently, Mr. Seaver had been Glen's opponent in the formal tournament held when Glen earned his S-rank title—and had lost. He told me openly that this defeat was one of the triggers for him to seriously consider retiring from the knight order as he felt the effects of aging.

Different weapons mean different fighting styles, so simple comparisons aren’t fair. But there’s no doubt Glen is more skilled than Mr. Seaver was recently.

After encountering such an S-rank adventurer for the second time, I was unsure what to do when he spoke.

"Did you take down that snake?"

He was looking first at the corpse lying at my feet.

"I was attacked. Were you chasing it first, by any chance?"

"No, this guy’s hard to kill, right? I’ve fought it a few times myself; it’s a pain. Plus, when you finally take it down, it ends up minced, meat and skin all messed up—no value. I just thought it was impressive you managed to kill it so cleanly."

Judging by his tone, he seemed sincere. He circled around the body, inspecting it from all angles with interest. Then, suddenly,

"Alright. Mind if I punch you first?"

"Why do you think that’s okay?"

His statement was so matter-of-fact, as if it was the best idea ever, I couldn’t help but respond. I genuinely wondered how it ended with “just punch him first.” Maybe something was bothering him, or he was affected by that curse.

I quickly tried to stop him and explained about the curse.

"The curse doesn’t matter. I don’t particularly dislike you or anything. Honestly, I actually like you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. That’s why I want to punch you."

"...You want to punch someone you like?"

"Fighting strong people is fun, right?"

"Even if you say that like it’s obvious..."

Though I understood his words, I just couldn’t grasp the meaning. The big man smiled genuinely—no malice or hostility, just pure amusement. It was a good smile that clearly conveyed his excitement.

I see, this guy’s just a battle maniac... I thought I’d met many people, but this was the first time I’d seen someone like this. And so battle maniacs really exist...

"Why do I always run into such a troublesome person in a place where no one else is around?"

"Hey, you said that out loud."

Oops, sorry.

"But when we met the other day, you seemed uninterested in me."

"Why bother fighting someone who only wanders around there? That’s boring."

I understood. By his standards, the people at that base were worthless trash—not even worth fighting. I was counted among them just recently. But now, I had come here alone and had the achievement of defeating the immortal snake.

"So you re-evaluated me from trash to someone a bit more interesting."

"See? You get it. All right, let’s do this!"

"I never said 'let’s do this.'"

"Come on, don’t be such a downer... Fine, just one hit. One hit’s okay, right?"

I just wanted a more normal conversation before “just punching,” but...

"Can I fight back?"

Do I even have to accept such a one-sided offer? But dealing with him seriously might be more troublesome. If he wants a light test of skill and then leaves satisfied, fine. If he attacks in earnest, whether he’s a magical beast or human, S-rank adventurer or not, I’d have to respond the same way. Despite some unease, I decided to settle this quickly.

My reply seemed to strike a chord with him because he gave a cocky smile.