WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 546: The Village Farthest from Death

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There were no borders or signposts in the wilds. Standing in that land, where nature itself grew lush and untamed, made me realize just how different a domain was from territory.

As we walked, the scent in the air changed. Everything looked the same on the surface, yet the feeling that this was no longer the land I knew seeped in like a drizzle. By the time that unease had crept right under my nose, we had already crossed into another territory.

A territory was not land. It was power. The moment I noticed it, we had already entered the immortals' territory.

Totems carved from living trees stood here and there. They had old men's faces with bulging eyes and mouths, their expressions terrifying as if they were threatening intruders. Decorations made from animal bones hung from massive old trees.

They were unmistakable boundary markers. Rashy saw them and nodded broadly.

"Hm! There are guardian totems, so we're here! Follow me!"

Rashy began leading us down the path as if he knew it well.

Usually, the outskirts of a territory were full of measures meant to guard against and repel intruders, such as scouts, watchtowers, and traps. Yet the immortals' territory showed nothing beyond signs that people lived here. Rather than hiding that fact, they seemed to be advertising it.

After walking for a while, we came upon a village. Its architecture was quite striking. Roughly made houses stood at more or less appropriate distances from one another. Humans with sun-darkened brown skin lounged beneath shades woven from leaves.

Roofs, walls, and pillars were all parts of a house, but simply putting them together did not make one. The immortals' houses seemed to demonstrate how different the sum of a structure's parts could be from a house as a whole.

They clearly had posts, walls, and roofs. Yet the immortals' houses were not houses. Everything was there, so what was missing?

Ah, that was it.

There was no intention to become a house. It was like watching a sport where every player did their own thing.

"Right Arm. You're back."

A broad-built man approached Rashy, who had been walking along without a care. His sun-bronzed skin and muscular body looked like the harsh wilderness made flesh. With a short beard and a delighted expression, he strode toward Rashy.

Then he kicked Rashy in the shin without warning.

Crunch. Rashy's shin twisted.

Rashy had a sturdy body and had trained in qi arts, but he was helpless against such a sudden attack. He rolled twice before crashing into the ground.

"Woof?!"

"What was that? An attack?"

Azzy barked in alarm, and the regressor frowned. Before she could react, Rashy held up a hand.

"Ah, do not be alarmed. This is a greeting among our tribe."

Though he had been attacked without warning, Rashy got to his feet as if he had expected it. His shin, which had looked broken, had already regenerated.

"Left Leg. Has anything happened while I was gone?"

"There was, if there was. There wasn't, if there wasn't. The blessed rain falls and wets the earth every day, but isn't that still a joy?"

"So nothing out of the ordinary. That's good."

As Rashy brushed himself off and rose, Left Leg looked at him suspiciously.

"More importantly, you..."

"Ah, forgive me."

Rashy then threw an enormous punch.

Boom. Left Leg's ribs caved in. An impact like an explosion burst out, and Left Leg flew backward, leaving a long trail in the ground.

It was unrestrained, unapologetic violence. Even so, Left Leg spoke with disappointment.

"You've grown weaker, Right Arm."

Immortals did not die. Even when injured, they regenerated quickly as long as they were touching the ground. Left Leg ignored his broken body and instead worried about Rashy's fist.

"Your strength faded at the end. Did that witch suck your blood or something?"

"No. Vampires do not desire our blood. I have simply spent much time with Pius lately, so I have grown used to holding back."

"Ah. Pius."

Left Leg glanced at the regressor and me. Compared to their huge, muscular bodies, we both looked small and frail.

Looking at us, Left Leg spoke with a face full of sympathy and boundless kindness.

"You have it rough. Though the Pius who live in fear of death surely have it far worse."

"Piu? Afraid of dying?"

The regressor bristled, taking it as a provocation. Rashy had learned enough about her personality in the Abyss to wave a hand before she could respond.

"Ah, a Piu is what we call those who are not part of the immortal race. It means friends whom we, who do not die, must help. People outside call us barbarians, but that is only because we do not die. We are kind to Pius."

"That is exactly right. Pius, do not worry. We are not so indiscriminate as to use our strength against a Piu..."

At that moment, the regressor briefly tightened her fist and unleashed a gust of force. Dozens of blows struck Left Leg's body in an instant. Left Leg, who had approached us, was sent flying into the distance again.

"Don't look down on me. From your perspective, I'm an immortal. At your level, you can't even hurt me."

She threw punches just because she had been looked down on. Any civilized person would have clicked their tongue at such conduct. This was the land of barbarians, though. Barbaric behavior became a virtue here.

Left Leg, who had been sent flying, grinned and shouted.

"Hahaha! You're a warrior!"

Bang. Left Leg immediately charged and swung a leg like a log at the regressor. That leg, far thicker than anyone else's, descended on her.

At that moment, the regressor drew up her qi arts and struck his shin. Her fist looked pitifully small compared to the leg that resembled a log.

Yet her fist, surrounded by swirling air currents compressed by qi arts, held a force far greater and more intense than it appeared.

Heaven-Reversing Boundary, Qi Strike Fist.

A fist-shaped mark appeared on Left Leg's body. Wind whirled like an awl, boring into him. The strike completely overwhelmed him in a contest of strength and sent Left Leg flying once again.

"You broke my Offering God...!"

She had attacked him without warning and injured him, but this was the immortals' village. Immortals who regenerated perfectly no matter how badly they were injured had no fear of wounds or injury. Naturally, they did not care much when someone hurt them.

No, they welcomed it.

"Amazing! It has been a long time since such a warrior came here!"

Left Leg grabbed his crushed left leg and squeezed it like an inner tube. The leg, which had been flattened by the gust of force, returned to normal like a balloon. After restoring his body in a casual yet grotesque manner, Left Leg threw his arms wide and shouted.

"Welcome! We shall treat you not as a Piu, but as a warrior!"

"I don't care either way."

'With barbarians like these, it's easier to show them strength than waste words. This is right.'

Whether she was smart or simply had good instincts, the regressor's judgment was surprisingly sharp. Despite her causing trouble as soon as we entered the village, the way people looked at her had changed quite a bit.

The immortals who had glanced at us with indifference or pity now seemed somewhat envious and impressed.

Having acknowledged the regressor, Left Leg looked at me with great anticipation.

"Then what about you?"

"No. I'll just be a Piu."

No chance. I would live as a weak person and accept their consideration.

After finishing our "greetings," Rashy led us onward.

"Well, that is roughly how it is. We may seem a little lacking to people from the military state, but we are not that barbaric, are we?"

"That's true. They call us Pius, but they don't really look down on us, and they don't go around throwing punches at anyone they see."

"They say that long ago, we too were as violent as beasts. Yet after becoming citizens of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand, we learned how to live alongside others. We came to understand how much fear and suffering Pius, those who die easily, carry with them. Since then, protecting and helping Pius has become our tradition."

The immortals' village was not inhabited only by immortals. Here and there, I saw humans who were clearly dressed differently from them. Every one of them wore a large red armband marking them as Pius.

The same was true for me. As I walked with a red armband on, I could feel the immortals' gazes. They treated me carefully, as though I were a fragile toy.

"If you are recognized as a warrior, things like what happened today may occur. We who do not die do not hesitate to test our strength against one another. The boy's strength should make it no problem, but still, be careful. Let your guard down, and you may get hit."

The regressor, who was not wearing an armband, snorted.

"That's an unnecessary concern. I can react even if someone attacks me while I'm asleep..."

'...Then why didn't I notice the hammock slipping while I was asleep, making me end up sleeping with him?!'

The regressor smacked both cheeks hard with her hands. Rashy watched her suddenly hit herself and looked puzzled.

"Do Pius heal themselves by hitting their bodies? Well, in any case. Teacher, since you are a Piu, we must go to Mortal Village. It is the only place with an inn for outsiders."

Mortal Village. The name was certainly direct. Then again, the original residents, the immortal race, would have their own homes...

Ah, but still. Rashy had said he was going to marry Callis, yet I had not even seen a glimpse of her.

"What about Callis?"

At my question, Rashy answered with a slightly darker expression.

"It is the same. She is a Piu, so she is in Mortal Village."

Footnotes:

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