Chapter 40: Igor’s Burden

"Ah, right. Warren said he wants to become your disciple, Igor!"

"Hey! Idiot, don’t say that!"

"A disciple?" Igor looked surprised. "Sorry, but I have no intention of taking disciples. Besides, the only thing I can teach is basic hand to hand combat. I cannot even use a sword, so if you want someone to teach you, there are plenty of better choices..."

"I want you!"

The words came out before Warren could stop himself.

The moment he realized what he had said, Warren immediately became flustered.

"No, wait! That’s not what I mean... Actually, it is, but... I’ve always heard about your achievements. They say that when you face a powerful enemy, you fight as if a god of war has possessed you. They say Igor is such an incredible person that even the Demon King couldn’t stand against you..."

"Ah... yeah, okay. I understand. You can stop there."

Igor looked deeply embarrassed.

Still, Qiu Nuoya could not help but wonder.

Even the Demon King could not fight against him?

Just how exaggerated were these stories?

"It seems my accomplishments have been greatly exaggerated," Igor said with a troubled smile. "The way I fight isn’t nearly as impressive as people make it sound. Before I started working with Viktor, I was actually avoided by most parties because people considered me a burden..."

"That’s just because the people you partied with had poor judgment!"

"No, I don’t think it was that simple."

Igor scratched his head.

"If someone like me were in my own party, I probably wouldn’t want to fight alongside him either."

"Hm?"

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head.

Why did Igor look down on himself so much?

Viktor acknowledged his strength.

His Rank B status as an adventurer proved his ability.

People throughout the area talked about his achievements and admired him as an adventurer. Yet the person himself did not seem to value that reputation at all.

It was strange.

"That’s not true!" Warren insisted. "I want to go on an adventure with you!"

"Ah... yeah. I’m really happy to hear you say that." Igor smiled faintly. "But I think you and I would probably have the worst compatibility possible."

"Why!?"

Igor still looked troubled.

"Even now, you go out with people other than Viktor, don’t you? Why is that different?"

"Ah, that’s because right now I’m only helping with low rank requests."

Igor looked serious.

"But going on an adventure is different. I don’t team up with people who are in the same close range combat class as me. More accurately, I can’t."

"Why not?"

When Qiu Nuoya tilted his head in confusion, Igor awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you two know about Berserkers?"

Qiu Nuoya had heard the name before.

However, his understanding of Berserkers was simply that they were extremely powerful warriors.

Seeing that both Qiu Nuoya and Warren did not fully understand, Igor calmly began explaining.

"When I’m fighting while maintaining my normal sense of reason, my hand to hand combat ability is actually nothing special. My true strength only appears when I enter a Berserk state."

Igor paused for a moment.

"Berserking means throwing away your own reason and putting everything into battle. In other words, it’s a state where you lose your rationality and become completely absorbed in fighting."

His expression became more serious.

"When I become like that, I can’t tell friend from foe. People call me a war god or a demon god because of it, but from my allies’ perspective, it’s a nightmare. I can’t stop until my enemies are defeated. If someone approaches me, I might attack even my own companions."

Igor lowered his gaze.

"That means my allies can’t carelessly get close to me. And after the Berserk state ends, I can’t move for several hours. I’m completely useless. To put it simply, I’m nothing more than a burden."

Igor let out a quiet breath.

So that was what a Berserker was like.

Qiu Nuoya could understand why people would hesitate before taking someone like that as a companion.

"Viktor understands that part of me."

Igor smiled faintly.

"While I’m fighting, he focuses entirely on supporting me from the back. When necessary, he can even withstand my attacks. Even if I lose control and rampage, Viktor has a way to bring me back to my senses."

Igor looked ahead.

"That’s why I can trust him with my back. But with anyone other than Viktor..."

His voice became quieter.

"I’m afraid I might hurt my own companions again. Because of that fear, I can’t fight with my full strength."

"Again?"

Could it be that Igor had hurt his companions in the past?

"That’s why, kid. I’m really happy to hear you say that, but I can’t make you my disciple, and I don’t think I can go adventuring with you either."

"So... that’s how it is..."

Warren’s disappointment was obvious.

Seeing his expression made Qiu Nuoya feel a little down as well.

He had never known that Igor’s way of fighting was like this.

"Ah, but couldn’t you teach him the same combat techniques you taught me?"

"Well, that is possible."

Igor thought for a moment.

"But I don’t use a sword. If you’re aiming to become a swordsman, I think you would be better off finding someone who specializes in teaching swordsmanship."

"I do want to become a swordsman, of course! But I also want to learn hand to hand combat!"

Warren looked directly at Igor and declared it without hesitation.

Igor seemed slightly surprised by his determination.

However, after a moment, he nodded.

"Well, if you feel that strongly about it, then sure."

And so, starting the next day, Qiu Nuoya and Warren would be taught the basics of hand to hand combat by Igor.

Igor had told Qiu Nuoya that he would teach him more once he was older.

But because Warren had joined them, Qiu Nuoya was able to learn alongside him.

Perhaps that was actually lucky for him.

That night, after everything that happened with Warren, Qiu Nuoya was called over by Igor with a gesture.