Chapter 7: Renkinjutsu-shi

The tavern was still in shock. In more than thirty years, no one had ever managed to defeat the mayor in a drinking contest. Yet here stood Miller the Swordsman, grinning like a madman, basking in his newfound glory.

He paraded around the tavern, laughing loudly, soaking in the admiration, or rather, the sheer disbelief, of those around him. Eventually, he made his way to the counter, rubbing his hands together like a merchant about to claim his fortune.

“Alright, my loyal subjects! Listen well!” he declared, leaping onto a table with the effortless grace of someone who knew exactly how to command attention. His golden eyes gleamed with amusement as he spread his arms wide.

“Because I am a generous man, I will allow you to take some of these missions, for a price, of course! Today only, I’ll be merciful! Rank F and E missions go for half a million Kimis each. Rank D for a million, and the price goes up half a million per rank after that! Consider it an honor to buy from me!”

Miller casually reached for the stack of parchment on the counter, flipping through them with a bored expression. “Let’s see… twenty-four Rank F and E, six Rank D, four Rank C, two Rank B, two Rank A…” He trailed off, his smirk fading for the briefest of moments as his fingers stopped on one particular sheet. Then, his eyes widened, then filled with sheer, unhinged glee.

“…Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me, old man!” His grin stretched from ear to ear as he turned the paper towards the crowd. “You had a treasure like this hidden away?! A Rank S mission?!”

Miller threw his head back and let out a loud, manic laugh. “With this, I’ll be richer than a damn king!”

The mayor, still slumped on the floor, groaned and tried to lift his head. His face was pale, his entire body sluggish from both alcohol and exhaustion.

“No…” he rasped, his voice weak but urgent. “If you assign that mission to someone unprepared, they won’t just die. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of innocent people could be slaughtered. You can’t—”

Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed once again, completely unconscious.

That was all the confirmation the crowd needed. The adventurers surged forward, shoving and scrambling, throwing handfuls of Kimis in Miller’s direction. Coins rained down like confetti, glittering under the dim tavern lights as they clattered against wooden tables and the floor.

“No… this can’t be happening,” the barmaid muttered, her hands gripping the edge of the counter so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her face, usually full of humor and mischief, was now tense with fear. “This isn’t just reckless. If he gives that mission to the wrong person… this could be the end of Kita. No, of every village in the Sanmyaku.”

Ishi, standing beside her, felt her stomach churn with disgust. Every fiber of her being burned with anger at the sheer arrogance and greed of the red-haired swordsman.

Without thinking, she stepped forward, her hands curled into fists, her legs moving on instinct. But before she could even take a proper step, a firm hand caught the back of her cloak and yanked her backward with unsettling ease.

“What the—?!” Ishi twisted around, glaring, only to find herself staring straight into Li-Jua’s smirking face.

The taller woman barely looked fazed, as if she had been expecting Ishi to react this way.

“Li-Jua!” Ishi snapped, her face flushing with frustration. “We have to do something! You’re not seriously going to let that idiot do whatever he wants, are you? I don’t care if we make a scene, we can’t just stand here!”

Li-Jua sighed, rolling her shoulders, a slow, predatory grin spreading across her face.

“Oh, believe me, I know,” she muttered, cracking her knuckles. “And I’m not planning to stand around and watch.” Her voice dropped into a lower, dangerously amused tone. “I think it’s about time someone knocked that smug bastard off his high horse.”

Without another word, Li-Jua turned and began making her way through the crowd.

She didn’t push or shove, she didn’t have to. People instinctively moved out of her way, drawn back by the sheer intensity of the fury radiating off of her.

The barmaid chuckled under her breath, watching her go. “You and your friend sure have guts,” she said to Ishi.

But Ishi barely heard her.

Her entire focus was on Li-Jua.

The way she moved, elegant, dangerous, determined, sent an unfamiliar heat rising to Ishi’s cheeks.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe.

Then—

“HEY, YOU JACKASS!”

Li-Jua’s sharp voice rang through the tavern like a whipcrack, cutting through the noise in an instant.

Miller, still grinning, turned lazily towards her. Upon seeing who had called out to him, his smirk widened.

“Well, well,” he mused, raking his golden gaze over her with the kind of arrogance that made Li-Jua’s blood boil. “Give me a second to finish my business, sweetheart, and then I’ll be right over. Why don’t you order me a drink while you wait?”

His voice was dripping with mocking condescension, his smirk practically challenging her to react.

And react she did.

Li-Jua’s expression darkened in an instant.

Her patience snapped.

With one swift motion, she leapt onto the table where Miller was standing, and before he could so much as flinch, she drove her foot straight into his face.

The force of the kick sent him flying backward, his body crashing to the floor in a heap of limbs and spilled coins.

Miller sprang to his feet, his expression twisted in a mixture of fury and disbelief. That kick, that monstrous kick, had struck him with the force of a hundred men. He hadn't even seen it coming.

"You damn bitch!" he spat, wiping the blood from his mouth. His golden eyes burned with rage. "Do you even know who you're messing with?! I'm Miller, the great swordsman!"

Li-Jua, still standing tall on the table, crossed her arms and sneered down at him, completely unfazed.

"Yeah, yeah," she scoffed. "I don’t give a damn who you are. And ‘great swordsman’? That remains to be seen, you miserable excuse for a fighter."

She tilted her head, her emerald eyes flashing with challenge. "I know how things work around here," she continued, her voice laced with frustration. "And I know I can’t just beat the shit out of you and take away your so-called right to assign missions. But trust me, if I could, I’d have already crushed you like the cockroach you are."

A dangerous smirk crept onto her lips. "So I’ll settle for something else. I challenge you to a drinking contest, Miller, the 'great swordsman.'" She mockingly raised her hands, making exaggerated air quotes.

Miller let out a sharp laugh, his expression twisting into amusement.

"And why the hell would I accept a dumb challenge like that?" he scoffed. "I just beat the mayor fair and square! I already have the right to every mission in Kita." He grinned, arrogance dripping from every word. "What could you possibly offer me that would make this worth my time?"

His eyes raked over her, but then he let out a fake sigh of disappointment. "You are easy on the eyes, I'll admit," he mused, "but that gorilla-strength kick of yours just ruined any charm you might’ve had. I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole, you damn man-woman."

Li-Jua’s blood boiled.

She had already been seething before, but now? Now she wanted to rip this bastard apart.

Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles hurt. She was ready to launch herself at him, drinking contest be damned. She would break every single one of his teeth.

"Li-Jua!"

Ishi’s voice cut through her rage like a knife.

Li-Jua didn’t turn, but she felt Ishi step closer behind her.

Miller, however, finally noticed her.

His golden eyes flickered toward the girl and everything else vanished for him.

Ishi’s delicate features, her golden hair, her strikingly pure blue eyes. Miller was instantly, utterly captivated.

His arrogant smirk melted into something almost dazed, his body frozen in place.

The world around him blurred. The noise of the tavern, the crowd, Li-Jua’s furious presence, all of it faded into nothing.

There was only her.

A tiny, beautiful, caped girl with a voice like the softest silk and a face so breathtaking it made his heart skip a beat.

"You," Miller breathed, taking a slow step toward her.

Ishi blinked. "…Huh?"

"You know this gorilla?" Miller asked, motioning lazily toward Li-Jua as if she were some unimportant background detail.

Ishi frowned. "What? Yes, of course, she's my com—"

"Perfect!" Miller cut her off, grinning ear to ear. He turned back to Li-Jua, his previous fury completely forgotten.

"Alright, Cave Beast," he declared dramatically. "I accept your challenge."

Li-Jua narrowed her eyes, suspicion creeping in. "Just like that?"

"Yes," Miller said, still gazing dreamily at Ishi. Then, with a theatrical bow, he took Ishi’s hand before she could react and, to her absolute horror, kissed it.

"Your beautiful companion shall be my prize," he said smoothly, kneeling before her as if he were some grand knight.

Ishi’s entire body stiffened. Then her face twisted in disgust.

With a sharp jerk, she ripped her hand away, her fingers twitching with the urge to slap him across the face.

Before she could, however, Li-Jua caught her wrist.

The touch was gentle, but firm.

Ishi blinked up at her, surprised.

Li-Jua wasn’t looking at her, though.

Her gaze was locked onto Miller, her entire body trembling with barely contained fury.

"Not only did you insult me, but now you have the audacity to treat Ishi like some kind of prize?" Her voice was deadly quiet. "You absolute bastard."

She cracked her knuckles once more, her expression dark with promise.

"Let’s do this," she said coldly. "Right. Now."

Miller stood up, still smug as ever, and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, then!" he announced, brimming with unshakable confidence. "Let's drink!"

Li-Jua and Miller sat at a large table in the center of the tavern, the crowd pressing in around them, roaring with excitement. It had been years since they had witnessed such a grand spectacle.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Ishi muttered, standing beside Li-Jua. Her blue eyes were filled with worry. "If you lose, I’ll have to go with that idiot, and I will never forgive you."

The tavern waitress, still lingering nearby, crossed her arms. "Are you sure about this, girl?" she asked. "That guy may be a scrawny, loudmouthed fool, but he still managed to defeat the mayor."

Li-Jua smirked. "Relax. I have a plan."

Before either of them could question her further, another waitress approached, carrying two enormous tankards filled to the brim with a clear, dangerously potent liquor. The sheer strength of the fumes made some of the surrounding adventurers cough.

The waitress who had brought the drinks stepped forward. "I’ll explain the rules," she announced.

"This is the strongest liquor in all of Sanmyaku region, they say that a single glass is enough to knock out a mid-sized ogre." She paused for effect, scanning the crowd. "The competitor who drinks the most tankards wins. The time limit is fifteen minutes."

A brief silence settled over the tavern.

"BEGIN!"

The entire room exploded with cheers and chants as the challenge commenced.

Li-Jua and Miller lifted their tankards and drank in perfect unison, downing the lethal liquor without spilling a single drop. In less than a minute, they slammed their empty tankards onto the table at the exact same time, shattering the silence of anticipation.

"Another!" they both shouted, glaring daggers at each other.

A second round arrived. Then a third. Then a fourth.

By the time they reached the fifth tankard, the ten-minute mark had barely passed.

Miller let out a breathless laugh, wiping his mouth. "I have to admit, Gorilla, you're formidable." He grinned, his golden eyes burning with competitive fire. "No one has ever lasted this long against me."

Li-Jua didn’t answer.

She simply smirked.

Something about her expression made Miller's stomach twist, and it wasn’t from the alcohol.

As they started their sixth tankard, Li-Jua's aura shifted.

A chilling sensation ran down Miller’s spine, something he couldn't explain. For a split second, he had the horrible feeling that she had figured something out.

No. Impossible.

Even if she had, what could she possibly do about it? His victory was already assured.

They slammed down their sixth tankards.

Li-Jua laughed.

"Not bad, Red," she mused, stretching her arms. "You’ve got more endurance than I thought. But you should be hitting your limit right about now."

Miller snorted. "Dream on, Gorilla." He reached for the seventh tankard. "I’m just getting warmed up."

And then, to everyone's shock—

He stopped.

His hand froze mid-air.

His vision blurred.

A horrible nausea surged through his gut, and his body swayed.

Before he could stop it, his stomach turned violently.

With a choking gag, Miller vomited onto the floor.

Then, he collapsed.

The tavern erupted.

For the second time that night, a champion had fallen.

The crowd exploded with cheers and roars of excitement. After thirty years of the mayor's reign, they had now seen two separate victories in a single night. The sheer shock and joy in the room was unparalleled.

Li-Jua leaned back in her chair, completely unfazed.

Ishi rushed to her side, staring in absolute disbelief.

"Li-Jua!" she gasped. "How are you even still standing? That stuff was supposed to be lethal!"

Li-Jua smirked, tossing her long chestunt hair over her shoulder.

"Do you really think something like this would affect me?" she said proudly. "If the venom of a Rafflesia or even the poison of the Doku Ryu forest can’t bring me down, then some questionable mountain-town liquor sure as hell won’t."

She turned her gaze to Miller, who lay unconscious on the floor, completely wiped out.

"Although," she mused, tilting her head, "if I hadn’t figured out his little secret, this match could have dragged on forever."

Ishi frowned. "Secret?"

Li-Jua waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, nothing. Let’s leave it at that."

She leaned back, grinning victoriously.

"Congratulations, champion."

A deep, gravelly voice echoed behind Li-Jua.

She turned around to face the speaker, and there he was, the giant of a man, round as a barrel, standing like a tower of authority. His long white beard contrasted with his bald head, giving him an air of both wisdom and dominance.

"I am Buru, the mayor of Kita," he declared, his voice carrying both power and a hint of concern. "The right to assign missions is now yours. What will you do with it?"

Li-Jua snorted, crossing her arms.

"Nothing."

Buru raised an eyebrow.

"I'm giving it back," she continued, her tone as dismissive as ever. "I couldn’t care less about your damn missions. Just give me one, the one that interests me the most after I’ve read through them. I don’t care if it’s an F-rank or a goddamn S-rank, I’m taking just one for myself."

Then, with a smirk, she added, "As for the rest, you can shove them up your ass. Or better yet, shove them up that redhead’s ass instead."

The tavern fell silent for a moment.

Then, suddenly, Buru burst into booming laughter, shaking the very walls with his deep, rumbling voice.

"Didn’t I tell you, old man?"

The familiar voice of the barmaid that acompanied them sicne they anetered the tavern rang out as she walked up beside them, arms crossed, a smirk on her lips.

"I knew they were interesting from the moment I laid eyes on them," she said. Then, turning to the girls, she gave them an amused look. "Nice to meet you, beauties. I’m Ushi, the mayor’s wife."

Buru slapped his large belly, still chuckling.

"My wife has always had an eye for people. Alright, girls. Take whichever mission you want. I won’t stop you. You’ve earned it!"

That night, Ishi and Li-Jua stayed at the inn above the tavern, an offer from the mayor and his wife as a token of gratitude.

As they sat in their room, Li-Jua stretched her arms and leaned back against the bed, watching as Ishi sifted through the stack of missions.

"So?" Li-Jua asked. "What mission are we taking? I suppose the most logical thing would be one that leads us across the northern mountains..."

She paused, tapping her fingers against the wooden bedframe.

"That way, we could slip into a neighboring kingdom, find asylum, and come up with a plan there, right?"

Ishi hummed in response, scanning the pages carefully.

"Mmm… That’s what I originally thought too," she admitted.

Li-Jua glanced at her.

"But..."

A slow, almost mischievous smile curled at the corner of Ishi’s lips.

"I found something much more interesting."

Li-Jua narrowed her eyes.

"You scare me sometimes, you know that?"

She sat up, watching Ishi closely.

"What exactly are you planning?"

Ishi only grinned, offering no explanation.

At the break of dawn, the two of them set out on the road, heading south.

Li-Jua still had no idea which mission Ishi had chosen, but she didn’t care. She had already decided to follow her to the end, wherever that may be. If Ishi’s path of destruction led nowhere, then Li-Jua would simply start her own war against those who had dictated her fate.

They had barely walked ten minutes before an all-too-familiar voice cut through the crisp morning air.

"Wait!! Princess! Gorilla!!"

Li-Jua and Ishi stopped in their tracks, their shoulders tensing.

They turned around to see Miller sprinting toward them, arms waving, face filled with dramatic determination.

"Ughh, what the hell are you doing here?" Ishi groaned, her disgust as clear as day.

Miller skidded to a stop in front of them, panting, then straightened up, placing a hand on his chest like some chivalrous knight from a bad play.

"I shall accompany you!" he declared proudly.

Ishi made a face as if she had just swallowed something rotten.

"I cannot allow a gorilla to defeat me, nor can I allow my beautiful princess to remain in her savage clutches!" Miller continued. "Therefore, I must travel with you, to ensure your safety!"

Ishi shuddered.

"Absolutely not. Get lost. You give me chills."

Miller collapsed onto his knees, arms falling limp, his soul visibly leaving his body from the sheer pain of rejection.

But before he could lament his broken heart for too long, Li-Jua chuckled.

"Oh, come on, don’t be so hard on him."

Ishi blinked.

"What?!"

Li-Jua smirked.

"He’s perfect for our little group."

Ishi looked like she was about to have an aneurysm.

"Excuse me?!"

Li-Jua casually gestured between them.

"Think about it. We’re all frauds."

Ishi narrowed her eyes, unsure whether to be insulted.

Li-Jua continued, grinning wickedly.

"A healer who refuses to heal and prefers to punch and kick people instead." She pointed at herself.

"A legendary mage who pretends to be a simple elemental user." She gestured at Ishi.

"And now," she turned to Miller, eyes gleaming, "an alchemist disguised as a swordsman."

Miller’s eyes widened.

"Damn you, Gorilla! So you knew?!"

Ishi, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded.

"Wait... what?"

She looked between the two of them, utterly lost.

She had no idea what was going on anymore.

In the dimly lit kitchen of the tavern, Buru sat at a sturdy wooden table, the flickering glow of a single lantern casting shadows across his massive frame. His thick fingers drummed against the tabletop as he carefully examined the pile of missions that the two girls had left behind. His usually jovial expression was now replaced with concern.

Behind him, the barmaid Ushi leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching her husband with mild curiosity.

"So?" she finally asked, tilting her head. "Which mission did those two take, old man?"

She let out a small chuckle.

"They looked pretty damn strong. Maybe a C-rank, or even a B-rank? I gotta admit, I’m curious."

Buru let out a deep sigh and rubbed his round belly, his fingers sinking slightly into its softness as if trying to ease some unknown tension.

"Not even close…" he muttered.

Ushi straightened up.

"Wait. Don’t tell me they took the S-rank mission?!"

Her voice held genuine shock. As chaotic and reckless as those two seemed, even they wouldn’t be that suicidal, right?

Buru shook his head.

"No… They took an F-rank."

Silence filled the kitchen.

Ushi blinked.

Then she burst out laughing.

"An F-rank?! Are you kidding me?!" She smacked her palm against the counter, doubling over from laughter. "What, did they accept a job catching chickens or sweeping someone’s damn yard?!"

But Buru didn’t laugh, he just kep thinking about those two girls.