10,000x Reward Multiplier: Hell-level Kingdom Building-Chapter 6: [00] Viktor
It took thirty push-ups to realise the quest was not all that simple as he had imagined.
His stamina bar fell from 10/10 to 2/10 at the thirtieth push-up. His body became weak and exhausted as a result. On the thirty-first one, he fully collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
He relaxed for a few minutes and resumed once his stamina reached 8/10, but this time, he was only able to do twenty more.
He realised that this body was a lot weaker than his original one on Earth, where he could do up to fifty in one go. One time, he had even completed more than a hundred when challenged in public by Magnus and Noah.
"I wonder how those two are faring."
He found himself slowly drifting into memories of his friends. He quickly shook his head to clear those thoughts away, as he knew what they would lead to. Personally, he hated pondering over instances he had no control over.
Just as he was about to resume his push-ups, a knock came at the door.
"Who is it? The sons of Harald?"
He wondered as he opened the door, and his presumptions were right.
Jabba, adorning a ragged outfit that only covered his lower half and revealed his refined upper body muscles, stood outside, shivering uncontrollably.
His eyes were red, indicating that he was either about to cry or had already been crying. The dried lines on his face proved it was the latter.
"Jabba, what happened?"
At Floki’s inquiry, Jabba fell to his knees and brought his hands in front of his face, wailing loudly.
Before long, several villagers gathered around, wondering why the strongest man in their territory was crying.
"Ever since Jabba was born, he has never shed tears. I was there when he was delivered; he did not even cry back then like other normal babies. What could bring him to tears like this?" an elderly woman whispered to her colleague, who agreed with a nod.
While they were still discussing, hurried footsteps echoed from a distance. The villagers turned their heads in that direction, only to see Anton carrying the body of his brother as he sprinted toward them.
From the posture of Viktor in Anton’s arms, he seemed dead.
Floki’s eyes fluttered open alarmingly.
He rushed toward the two of them, and the villagers followed noisily behind him.
Anton fell to his knees once the distance was closed. He gently laid his brother’s corpse on the ground and wailed, pain and sorrow thick in his voice.
"Viktor!"
"Viktor is dead!"
"T-this... What happened!"
"Oh no..."
"Big brother Viktor is not moving, Mom... what is that red liquid on his chest?"
The villagers chanted noisily. A few men rushed forward to examine Viktor’s corpse, while the women cried, some covering the eyes of their children to shield them from the gore. The children, however, were stubborn and refused to turn away. They wanted to see what had happened to one of their mentors.
Floki ignored the commotion behind him, his eyes locked firmly onto the wound that had caused the death of his subordinate.
It was not hard to deduce its origin.
It was a clean and precise stab from a bladed weapon, specifically a long sword. Such a weapon was fairly common in this world, yet extremely rare in Ironside Village. No one in the village possessed one, which ruled out the possibility that a jealous insider was responsible.
He strolled over to Anton’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened? Where did you find his body?" he inquired in a firm tone.
Anton sniffed and lifted his head, his face damp with tears and snot.
"He... sniff... wanted to check the traps he set the day before yesterday to see if they had caught anything... I warned him not to go alone... sniff... He refused... and now he is dead..."
Anton burst into loud wailing once more.
Floki frowned.
From his memory, their village was surrounded by bushes on all sides.
Only one area was large and wide enough to serve as a hunting zone, as it bordered a small forest.
And that area was not in the direction of Blackstone Village. In fact, it lay directly opposite it.
"Who did this?" he wondered.
What was that person even doing lurking so close to the village?
Ironside Village was so poor that bandits completely ignored them. Even lesser monsters such as goblins, rats, and wolves, which were known for terrorising smaller villages, had neglected them for a long time.
That left only one possibility.
Blackstone Village.
It was definitely them.
But why?
Were they targeting the only warriors Ironside had left, or were they planning something else? Perhaps they were trying to locate where he had hidden the Crystal of Authority.
That could only be it.
"Are they aware that it is now in my direct possession? Would they come to claim it soon?"
He wondered.
The possibility was high.
If that were to happen, he would go through an even fiercer round of torture, and his people would pay for it with their lives and freedom.
He had to grow stronger by all means. Not only for his people, but for his own safety as well.
"Young chief, who do you think did this?"
His train of thought was interrupted when all the villagers turned toward him following Anton’s question.
"Blackstone."
He responded in a firm tone.
The villagers erupted into discussion. Some claimed their suspicions had been correct, while others voiced their fear that the enemy village was planning something far bigger than merely extorting them. A few of the children even began to cry at the mention of Blackstone.
Jabba stepped away from his previous position and walked toward Floki and the rest of the villagers.
This time, his face no longer held sadness, but vengeance.
His fists clenched tightly, and his muscles bulged.
He stared straight into Floki’s eyes and declared,
"Those bastards have taken away my precious brother, the second son of the great Harald the Hunter. They must pay."
Floki nodded.
"They will. We will make them pay. But first, Viktor must be buried."
Jabba’s fierce expression crumbled slightly. His brother would soon be laid to rest, and he would never be able to see him again for eternity.
"Or do you have other plans?" Floki asked.
Jabba shook his head.
"My brother deserves to be laid to rest immediately. But... I cannot attend. I am the eldest; he should be the one burying me in the future, not the other way around..."
Jabba’s voice cracked as he spoke.
Several men nearby stepped forward to console him with quiet words. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
The women wept, pity filling their gazes.
"I understand, and I sympathise with you," Floki said before continuing. "I will see to it that he receives the most honourable burial."
Jabba nodded, his mouth quivering as he struggled to hold back his tears. Two men escorted him away while the others remained behind to assist.
