WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Ryuu

Editor: Abstract

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A KNIGHT WHO ETERNALLY REGRESSES

Chapter 11: The Frog

"Damn it."

Rem spat on the ground, twirling his axe like a toy.

He had just lost track of the guy they called Hawk’s Eye.

It felt as uncomfortable as not wiping after taking a shit.

'How long has it been since I last failed on a hunt?'

The archer was quick-witted and fast-footed. As soon as he sensed Rem's presence, he bolted. Even the arrow he fired while escaping was sharp. Rem rubbed the spot near his left side where the arrow had grazed him. There was no wound. He had just failed to dodge it perfectly.

Annoyance aside, he charged in, slicing through the enemy ranks at an angle. Rem started heading back to where he had been.

"Who the hell is this guy?"

"Kill him!"

There were a few allies around him. He had gone in too deep, but it didn't bother him much. Instead of grumbling or cursing, Rem swung the axes in his hands. He had picked up the axe in his right hand from an enemy, but its balance was terrible. However, that wasn't something to worry about. If he wasn't going to use it, he could just throw it away.

Whoosh, thud!

He slashed the jaw and neck of an enemy blocking his path with the axe in his left hand, causing a fountain of blood to gush out. Rem swiftly avoided the blood spray and swung his right hand forcefully. The axe sliced through the air.

Whoosh—

Even though it wasn't a throwing axe, it flew fiercely and hit its target.

Thunk!

The axe split an enemy's head in half. After causing chaos among the enemy, Rem returned to his allies' ranks.

'I wonder if our squad leader is still alive.'

He wasn't someone who would die easily. Rem had never met such a tenacious person before.

'Even among my tribe, there was no one like him.'

He was probably holding out, being careful and hanging on. It would be a waste for him to die here. Although, he wasn't exactly fit for the battlefield either.

'The Heart of the Beast would suit him well, but his talent is truly unfortunate.'

Feeling sorry, he had taught some of his tribe's secret techniques to Enkrid. It wasn't out of a desire to be a mentor. There are just some people you don't want to see die in front of you. It can't be helped if they die out of your sight. That's how he returned to his usual position.

"You caused a mess and have nothing to show for it."

It was Jaxon. One of the key members of the 4-4-4 Squad. Apart from the squad leader Enkrid, nobody got along well. It was amazing that the squad even functioned at all, which pointed to Enkrid's inexplicable charisma.

"Oh? Are you asking to die? Do you want your head split by an axe?"

"The archer you missed has made a mess of the battlefield."

This was clearly picking a fight. You didn't need to look far to see the impact on the battlefield. It wasn't the archer's fault; it was because of the frog.

The frog had suddenly appeared and disrupted the battlefield. Whether it was due to his luck being good or bad, he hadn't crossed paths with Rem yet.

"Shut up. If you don't want to die, don't talk to me."

"Crazy barbarian."

They both turned away from each other. They had just happened to cross paths. Criticizing each other was part of their routine.

The Fourth-Fourth Squad didn't maintain formations. Everyone fought their own battles. Even without formation or gathering, they stood out.

'Except for big eyes.'

Even Rem had probably drawn some attention by slicing through the enemy ranks. Jaxon's specialty was appearing silently out of nowhere. Far away, he saw a few other squad members. They were all making their own marks. One was lazily swinging his sword. Another was methodically beating people to death. None of them were ordinary. Of course, the standout was the squad leader. Despite lacking talent, he had survived through sheer determination. Who would call that 'ordinary'?

'Just in case.'

Rem decided to find and protect the squad leader. He planned to watch his back without him noticing. He still thought Enkrid was too valuable to die.

'He's the first person on this continent to learn my tribe's secrets.'

With various reasons in mind, he moved. Soon, he spotted Enkrid.

'Hmm?'

While he was distracted, an enemy charged. Instinctively, Rem tripped the charging enemy and struck his jaw with the axe handle. The enemy spat out broken teeth. Rem spun around, elbowing the enemy's helmet.

Crack. Thud!

The sound was similar to thick firewood breaking. It had broken the enemy's neck in one blow. Rem twirled his right arm, but his gaze remained fixed. Despite dealing with the charging enemy, his eyes had been on the squad leader the whole time.

'Skilled?'

It was a sight he hadn't seen before. That skillfulness made him watch instead of stepping in to help. He didn't seem like he would lose. It was a reality close to intuition. Enkrid was fighting a fairly skilled enemy. There was an unprecedented calmness and boldness in his actions.

'How?'

How could a person change so much overnight?

"I'm surprised too."

Beside him, Jaxon appeared again. It seemed their paths kept crossing. Had this guy also come to watch the squad leader's back?

"I've been watching all day. While you were messing around."

"So?"

"I thought he must be living together with the goddess of luck."

"What?"

"He got lucky."

Just luck? It didn't seem like luck alone could explain his current state.

"His skills have also improved remarkably."

Jaxon got along well with other squads but had a bad relationship with Rem. Well, that was true for everyone in this squad. In fact, the conversation they just had was the longest and most ordinary one since Rem joined this squad. That meant Jaxon was equally surprised. Rem was just as shocked.

Moreover, Rem saw two even more surprising things.

The first was Enkrid dodging an enemy's thrust and countering with an almost perfect sword strike.

"Nice!"

Rem muttered involuntarily. Jaxon nodded slightly.

Persistent effort. Knowing how hard the squad leader worked, he couldn't help but cheer for him.

Talent is funny.

Sometimes it lets you leap several steps at once. Both Rem and Jaxon had experienced that, so Enkrid's current state didn't feel alien to them. He seemed to have leaped several steps in an instant.

'He won.'

The opponent wasn't easy. Rem could have beaten him with a few axe swings. The squad leader, however, who would have lost ten out of ten times against this enemy, ended up winning. It didn't look like an easy victory.

He bore minor wounds. The shield in his left hand was a broken piece of junk. His hand and knee guards were torn and tattered. He was panting heavily, his breath labored.

'The Heart of the Beast.'

Rem quickly assessed the squad leader's state. Calmness and composure. The foundation for that was the secrets Rem had taught him.

'But to this extent?'

It was astonishingly refined. Rem felt a sense of pride.

"Frog!"

Just then, someone shouted. It was another soldier behind the squad leader. What was his name? Bell? He remembered because the name sounded similar to his own. Just as Bell had said, the frog darted forward like a shadow.

Frog, the frog-man. His face resembled a frog's. So did his skin. His skin was slick, like it was coated with oil, causing all blades and blunt weapons to slide off. To kill him, you had to pierce his heart or burn them with magic or sorcery. That was no easy task.

Frog had superior strength and combat instincts, being part of a natural warrior race. As a combat-specialized species, they could master any weapon in just days. Frog sprinted, his body parallel to the ground, and kicked Enkrid's side with his foot. It didn't seem like he intended to finish him off with that one kick.

Seeing Enkrid fly sideways, Frog landed and assumed a stance. He reached back, grasping a spear. Leave him alone, and he would die. He would definitely die. As soon as Rem saw the black shadow, he sprang forward.

Bang.

The ground caved in with a boom. His forceful step sent the earth up like a small fountain. In a flash, Rem was beside Frog.

Whoosh!

Without a word, he swung his axe in a long arc. It curved down like a whip, transferring force from his shoulder and arm to the axe blade.

Frog, instead of throwing the spear, performed an incredible trick. Mid-throw, he sidestepped with his right foot and swung the spear shaft upward like a wooden stick. It all happened in an instant.

Clang!

The axe and spear collided. A shockwave radiated from the impact.

"Grr, an intruder? An ugly human?"

"Damn frog, that's our squad leader."

"The squad leader is weaker than the squad members?"

Frog instantly assessed Rem's skills. Dash, axe swing, judgment.

Frog were a natural warrior race. If anything matched their combat skills, it was their insight. Their bulging eyes assessed an opponent's strength in an instant. They were a species born with the talent to discern talent. Frog's eyes rolled, and he stepped back.

"Fine. I've calmed down."

"What the hell?"

"Ugly human, that man has pierced 'it' of a person I know. I got excited for a moment. But I taught him, so... fine, fighting to the death here isn't worth it."

Frog's insight wasn't limited to assessing people's talents. Their combat instincts instantly determined the odds. Rem didn't think the situation was entirely unfavorable, but if he could avoid a fight, that was good.

Being paid peanuts to fight Frog was a losing battle. He fully understood what Frog was saying. As long as their heart wasn't pierced, frogs regenerated their limbs. They were sensitive about the word 'heart.'

They didn't use the word 'heart' at all. Seeing someone die from a pierced heart could make them lose their minds. A berserk frog exuded a truly savage aura. An undertrained frog wouldn't even step onto the battlefield.

Rem reflected on what he knew.

'Damn, I guess I'm getting used to this place.'

Reciting details about frogs so smoothly meant life on this continent had become ingrained in him. Frog tapped his heart armor. A piece of armor designed solely to protect the heart, called "Heart Armor." It was a certification of sorts.

Their city would rather break an unrefined blade than send it out. The Heart Armor was a badge of identity for frogs.

"See you again, ugly human."

Why did he keep calling him ugly? Frogs liked jewels and had unique aesthetics. They preferred attractive humans.

"That face is too good to kill."

Frog flicked his tongue. It shot out and snapped back like a frog catching a fly. That was his smile. He glanced at the squad leader and slowly retreated. Females liked handsome men. Males liked pretty women. That was the Frog way. Their criteria for mating were different from how they judged humans. But they liked attractive humans for some reason. Well, that wasn't Rem's concern.

"Are you alive?"

Rem saw Jaxon holding the squad leader.

"His ribs cracked from a kick. But in that short moment..."

"Yeah, he blocked with his arm."

Impressive. Worth teaching. Blocking at the moment of impact showed he had learned well thanks to the Heart of the Beast. Rem felt a sense of pride.

"The impact seems to have shaken his head. He might not die, but if left like this, he could."

"The battle is cooling down. Carry him. Let's go."

"You carry him. I'll clear the way."

"You'll get an axe to the head someday."

"You better watch out for a knife in your back."

Rem huffed but didn't escalate it. Fine, the squad leader had performed well.

That was enough.

Rem carried Enkrid. Jaxon led the way with his sword and shield. From a glance, he didn't seem exceptionally skilled. But close observation revealed he was clearing the way with less than half his ability.

'Sneaky wildcat bastard.'

Rem cursed Jaxon inwardly as he walked. The squad leader on his back breathed softly, as if asleep.

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