I Refused To Be Reincarnated-Chapter 648: The Strength of the Ordinary

After getting rid of the mud covering his face, Julius observed the town’s houses.

If he had expected the outside world to be technologically advanced, with flying devices powered by mana, powerful artifacts lightening every corner, or straight streets organised cleverly to ease movement, the least he could say was that reality disappointed him.

No different from his birth village, old thatch, brown from the passing of years, served as roofs. Though the buildings weren’t nearly as decrepit, they still were a far cry from Alkemia Al-Nur’s luxurious villas, much less the beast empire’s grand capital.

’Well, it’s just a town, after all. Perhaps the center will look better...’

Once his companions cleaned themselves, they strolled down the main street.

Soon, the first citizens met his eyes. Pleasantly surprised to see the defined muscles under their supple skin, he reasoned that food didn’t lack. However, their modest shirts, more often than not yellowed and covered in stitches, exposed another problem.

’Do they lack artisans because of the conscription? No, it seems like a long-time problem. Do they barely earn enough to lodge and feed themselves?’

He walked deeper into the town, food stalls beginning to appear one after another. The bloody scent of fresh meat and the gripping stench of artisanal cheese refined for months overwhelmed the more reserved aroma of fresh vegetables and fruits.

Citizens negotiated with vehement tones, counting their bronze coins reluctantly as if the merchants asked for a part of their bodies to pay for the food.

However, despite their flushed faces, Julius frowned. To him, the prices were more than affordable, even cheaper than in his birth village where everyone was as skinny as a walking stick and paler than a vampire. Even better, the meat was covered in a mouth-watering layer of fat, and the vegetables exuded a strong aura of vitality.

’That’s why they’re healthy.’ He tucked his fingers around his chin. ’It’s not mere food but magical ingredients over-saturated with mana.’

He continued toward the town’s center but only saw more stalls and habitations. As suspected, shops were rare, and he only saw three bars on the way and an additional smithy, cloth store, and jeweller on the central plaza.

There was also the guard’s casern, town hall, mercenary guild, and a small temple featuring the same half-hawk half-lion creature he had seen on the guard’s armor.

With a pensive frown, he turned toward his group to summarise his understanding. "The town focuses on hunting and agriculture. The citizens are modest, but... They’re all physically as strong as a novice, with a few reaching the acolyte rank."

"That’s crazy!" Arun’s eyes widened before he covered his mouth to muffle his shock. "Normal people? Acolytes? How many nobles never surpassed that tier back in our province?"

Asha’s lips twisted in a worried grimace. "If their normal citizens are already that strong, how better are their elites compared to ours? We thought the only difference would be in knowledge and skills—we were so wrong."

"Listen to their conversations and gather more intel. Also, save our gold coins. We might have given too much to the guard captain." Julius nodded as he pushed the mercenary guild’s door.

Instantly, a thick scent of alcohol and the blend of burning herbs drifted to his nose. Cigarettes placed on metallic ashtray caused swirling smoke to rise to the wooden ceiling, its cinder gray color making him wonder just how much those people smoked.

Burly men wearing leather armor of all types and styles sat around the tables, sharing mugs of beer and adventures over dice or cards with provocative smirks.

Ignoring them for now, he walked to the counter, where a man’s enthusiastic voice reverberated along with the receptionist’s barely contained laughter.

"I promise you, Lana. That woman farted so much during her sleep that I thought she snorted from her ass," the man said, leaning over the counter with an amused smile.

"No way! Hahaha!" Lana slammed the desk in amusement, tears pooling by the side of her curved eyes. "You’re exaggerating, Bob."

Julius paled at the joke. Was it possible for someone to fart that much? ’That girl needs to see a doctor as fast as possible. She might have a serious intestinal disease!’

He coughed to draw Lana’s attention as he leaned beside the man. "Hello, miss. We lost our identity badges. The guard captain recommended getting brand new ones by registering as mercenaries. Could you please help us?"

The man frowned, while Lana placed her palm before her mouth and recoiled slightly. "Oh my. That’s terrible. But joining the guild might be..." She sized the group up, shaking her head. "A bit hard, considering your age."

"Hum. Still wet behind the ears but trying to act like men?" Bob scoffed, his brow raised and a smirk playing on his lips, definitely not because the brats interrupted his discussion. "I’ll overlook their test myself, Lana. It’ll teach them not to look down on mercenaries."

Lana slammed her palm on the table. "You’re already C-ranked! Don’t listen..."

"Fine by me." Julius cut her off with a shrug. "What’s the test?"

Bob’s smirk reached his eyes as he leapt over the counter and gestured to follow. "Nothing much, really. Just endure my strikes for a minute."

Lana rushed after them, her brows creased in worry. "Our branch test is old-fashioned, but you would usually face a D-rank mercenary who holds back. Forget about Bob. He always goes overboard when someone cuts his fun time."

"Not a problem," Julius answered flatly, not intimidated. After all, Bob was just an apprentice—someone he could have defeated two years ago without trouble.

"Haaaa." Lana exhaled in frustration. "He can coat his blade in flames and is a decent swordsman. You can’t say I didn’t warn you after he wipes the floor with you."

As her words hung in the air, they emerged in the backyard.

Bob leapt on a tiled arena and curled his fingers tauntingly. "I don’t mind taking you all at once, brats."

Arun rolled his eyes behind Julius. "He said the lady seemed to snort by her rear. To me, he seems to fart by his mouth. Let me go first. I promise not to go too hard—a few teeth broken and a burned scalp should teach him manners."

"Nah." Asha chimed in, her eyes narrowed into slits. "Let’s play by his own rules and beat him up together. We’ll stop only after he squeals and looks like a pig."

Julius raised his palms, about to calm them down before the hateful glare Louise threw at Bob surprised him. He had never seen her this angry.

"That rude fool dares to look down on my Julius? I’ll bury him six feet under."

’...’ Julius’ eyes widened. ’What?! Why are you taking it so personally?’

He quickly placed his hand on her shoulder, halting her steps. "Come on, guys. Did you forget we’re not here to create trouble? Let him boast all he wants."

"Ah!" Louise blushed. "Sorry... I never like to hear people talk poorly about you..."

Arun and Asha scratched their heads with a sigh. They didn’t feel they were wrong considering their noble backgrounds and competitive spirits, but Julius was right.

Seeing them recover their calm, Julius nodded. "I’ll go first. Try to cool down before your turn."

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