## Chapter 390 – A Color From Space
“Is this for real?”
It wasn’t just Winia who was dumbfounded. Claudie and I also stared wide-eyed at the meteorite, unable to believe what we were seeing.
“This is a meteorite? Are you sure?”
“I’d need to get it appraised to know the exact value, but it definitely looks like a meteorite to me. A small one, though.”
Winia answered Claudie’s question with a confident tone.
It seemed it was indeed a meteorite.
I couldn’t suppress the surge of excitement in my chest and roared.
“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!”
Thrill!
As I always say, doing good deeds brings good fortune! Can you believe this? Finding a meteorite like this…!
I’m finally being rewarded for living a virtuous life!
“Hey, Blackie, don’t get your hopes up too high. It’s really small, you know. And who knows what kind of metal it’s made of.”
Winia said, trying to restrain my wild excitement, but the corners of her lips were also slowly turning upwards. The meteorite was indeed only about the size of a small pebble.
It was probably just a fragment of a meteorite.
But a rare metal is a rare metal. Even this small piece would surely be worth dozens of silver. Rare metals are more expensive than gold of the same weight!
“This little thing is giving me boundless happiness!”
I felt like I was about to foam at the mouth. I chugged water from my canteen to suppress it and took a deep breath.
Then the world began to look beautiful. The forest scenery, with summer just beginning, was full of the freshness of new life, and a beautiful flower bloomed in my heart.
But the most beautiful of all would be Claudie Flower and Winia Flower. If only Karin Flower and Lady Risha Flower were here too…!
“Hehehe.”
A laugh escaped my lips.
“Oh, you cute little thing.”
The adventurer, completely knocked out by my Asura Blood-Crushing Headbutt, was sleeping soundly, unaware that his meteorite had been stolen. Looking at him, it seemed he had hidden the meteorite he’d accidentally found in his underwear, intending to keep it all to himself.
What a greedy bastard.
He tried to hoard the whole thing and then gathered people to search for more meteorites, only to start a fight. As a result, he had to cough up the fortune he had gained.
The saying “what goes around comes around” was made for times like this.
Still, thanks to this idiot’s greed, I was able to get my hands on the meteorite, so I couldn’t help but see him in a positive light.
He seemed to have some ambition, gathering people like that, but he was just an adventurer. The sin of overreaching himself was not a light one.
“Thanks, buddy.”
As a sign of gratitude, I tore off branches and leaves from a nearby tree and covered his body with them. He had cut up all his clothes for the search, so he was almost naked.
This is my last act of kindness.
“Katt, are you giving him a funeral?”
Claudie asked, looking puzzled. No, a funeral for a living person? Especially not for a benefactor who provided us with a meteorite.
“No. I felt a little bad after stripping him naked. He worked so hard to give us the meteorite, so I feel a little sorry for him.”
“Hehe. I guess so. Ah, could it be that Katt’s good deeds are bringing us this luck?”
“Hehehe, probably.”
The adventurer, covered in camouflage, tossed and turned as if he were having a pleasant dream. At least in his dream, I hope he sells the meteorite he acquired for a good price and enjoys wealth and glory.
Reality is cruel, so he’ll have to return the happiness the moment he wakes up.
It will be a short dream, but it will be all the more happy. Someone who has tasted meat knows how to eat it better, so he’ll be able to get a taste of what it’s like to have a meteorite in his hands.
“You fucking bastard. You’d be dead if it weren’t for the meteorite, you know.”
But looking at his face, I suddenly got pissed off and almost stabbed him. However, I’m not a crazy bastard who kills people over such trivial things.
Let’s cherish this joyful feeling and leave.
“Let’s go!”
I washed the meteorite with water, carefully wiped it clean, and then put it safely in my pouch. I never dreamed I’d find a meteorite like this, but as they say, well begun is half done, so I should be able to find at least one more.
“Hehehe. But he’s a real idiot. Why was he so greedy? If he got one, he should have just left on his own.”
Winia, who was dragging Gritteus along, looked back and said with a laugh.
“Greed is endless. He probably thought that if he got one, he could get another.”
“He’s a real fucking idiot.”
“You can say that again.”
Originally, all the tragedies in the human world stem from individual greed and unrestrained desire. Yes, that’s how the world is, but that desire is also what makes it beautiful.
Perhaps this adventurer was a fairy who appeared to teach me that lesson.
“…A fairy!”
Yes, maybe he was a fairy.
Suddenly, a warm feeling enveloped my heart.
I never thought I’d be thanking a fairy at my age.
Of course, it didn’t take long for that feeling to plummet. Not even an hour passed before we encountered more guys claiming territory.
“This is our area.”
“Damn… Okay. I guess so. Is there a village nearby?”
“Go that way.”
Fortunately, they weren’t the type to start a fight, so I asked for directions to the village and continued on.
I wanted to visit that commercial city instead of a small village, but it would take another day to get there.
Let’s go if we have time.
Anyway, I just kept moving while scanning the ground with the meteorite detector. There were people everywhere. People had given up their livelihoods to seek the opportunity that meteorites offered.
We avoided conflicts with those people and moved towards the village.
It was almost sunset.
Now that I had a meteorite, I couldn’t bring myself to pitch a tent on the side of the road. I diligently moved towards the village.
ㅡClang!
ㅡClang!
ㅡCrash!
“What’s that sound?”
“A fight?”
The sound of weapons clashing came from over there.
As we passed by, we saw people fighting in a tangled mess, along with fierce shouts.
ㅡKill them!
ㅡYou bastards!
ㅡKuaaaaaaa!!!
Two groups of people were hurling insults at each other and swinging swords and axes. Blood splattered and people fell. It was a fierce battle reminiscent of a battlefield.
ㅡYou goddamn bastards!
ㅡCome on, come on!
They fought without fear of death, like warriors. They seemed to be filled with hatred and anger.
“Katt, wait a minute.”
Claudie, her eyes shining, stopped us. Just as a cat can’t pass by a fish, Claudie couldn’t just pass by the scene of a fight.
“Why? Do you want to watch?”
“Can’t I?”
“No. Watching a fight is the best. But if we stare, they’ll say something, so let’s watch as we slowly move along. It’s on the way anyway.”
“Okay.”
If we stare too much, they’ll ask what we’re looking at.
That’s only natural, and we’d have nothing to say if they came to argue.
Watching a fight closely like this is the same as starting a fight. We should be careful not to start fights with others.
They must have had some kind of problem to be fighting each other like that.
ㅡKuaaaaaaack!!
ㅡKill! Kill those bastards!
ㅡUaaaaaack!!!
We slowly moved towards the village, glancing at the fight.
Their equipment wasn’t that great. But they didn’t seem to be adventurers… Did groups from different cities get into a fight?
ㅡClang!
ㅡSlash!
Judging by the level of the fight, they seemed to have a lot of resentment towards each other. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be fighting so desperately.
“It’s brutal. Sis, let’s stop watching and go quickly.”
“Yeah… I will. It’s a pretty realistic fight. I wonder if they had some kind of grudge?”
“It looks like it. They don’t seem to be highway robbers, so maybe groups were fighting over territory issues.”
Since meteorites are expensive, those kinds of murderous brawls can naturally occur when people fight over territory.
In an era where violence is the natural solution when words don’t work. Especially when a lot of money is involved, humans are always ready to turn into avatars of violence.
As we were about to pass through the area, it seemed the fight was coming to an end.
Both sides seemed to have suffered quite a few casualties, but the winner was clear.
The ones still standing were the winners.
“Hey! What are you looking at!”
As we were passing by, one of them strode towards us and shouted. His eyes, already covered in blood from killing, were filled with a ghostly aura.
He must have been watching us move.
“What are you looking at! Is our fight a spectacle for you to watch!!”
Of course, I had no intention of fighting with these guys.
“I’m not watching, I’m just moving while looking around to avoid anything flying our way. Something unexpected might happen, right? I’m not trying to watch, I’m just preparing for danger on the way. I apologize if I made you misunderstand.”
I immediately changed my tone and spoke politely. When I explained it so rationally, the guy who had shouted understood and apologized.
“…I, I see. Sorry for shouting. I’m just excited right now.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s understandable. Then, goodbye.”
“…Goodbye.”
When I replied with a smile, he awkwardly bowed and went back. He was covered in blood, but he seemed like a good person at heart, judging by how he understood what I said.
Rarely, things are resolved with words.
For a moment, I was worried that the momentarily insane guys would attack, arguing that witnesses would be a problem. If that had happened, I would have had no choice but to kill them all.
Anyway, he left and we resumed our journey.
The sun was starting to set.
“Hmm.”
Winia made a sound as if she was pondering something.
“Winia? What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
“Huh? No, it’s nothing. I just had a feeling that if the competition to find meteorites gets too heated, fights like that will break out everywhere.”
“Of course they will. Violent incidents are bound to happen.”
If people chasing desires try to divide the profits in a limited space, violent incidents are bound to break out.
That battle was just the beginning.
What if those who claimed territory couldn’t find meteorites? They’ll take up arms and invade other territories. And the invaded side will feel the same way.
People take up swords to make up for losses.
It’s only been a short time since the meteorites fell, so it’s quiet now, but a big problem is sure to break out soon. Our goal is to get our hands on the meteorites and get out before that happens.
“It’s only been a short time since the meteorites fell, so it’s quiet now. Soon it’ll turn into a battlefield. The moment the groups, mercenaries, and vagrant gangs who came for the rights lose patience, hell will come.”
The balance of this ‘territory’ is very precarious right now.
The moment one side tries to intentionally break it, it will shatter.
The territory itself is entrusted to the petty conscience of humans, so it’s only natural that it will be shattered for such trivial reasons.
“Let’s just grab a few meteorites before that happens and get out. Then there’ll be no problem.”
When I told Claudie and Winia my opinion, Winia’s face suddenly showed a look of bewilderment.
“Blackie… what’s this? Why do you suddenly seem smart?”
“What? What are you talking about? I’ve always been smart.”
It’s a fact that no one but me knows, but I, Kim Katt, am a highly educated person who has completed compulsory education, higher education, and even went to university.
I am fundamentally different from most people in this world, who only received a few “eat your heart out” table manners lessons from their parents, who slapped them on the head with their dirt-covered hands.
“Winia. Katt’s intelligence is not well known because of his ferocity, but he is an intellectual man who was born with the spirituality of a great warrior. Didn’t you know that after all this time together?”
As expected, Claudie understands meeeeeeeeee!!!!
“That’s right! I’m a more educated person than you think! No one in the tribe could keep up with me!”
“Didn’t that tribe collapse?”
“I don’t know.”
How would I know that?
