Gunther

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Gunther (冈瑟)
Alias(es)	Snow Bear Hunter
Species/Race	Highland Barbarian
Gender	Male
Affiliation	High Mountain Keep; Ripper Legion
Occupation/Role	Warrior; former Snow Bear Hunter; leader among the Highland Barbarians
Status	Active 415
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
System level-up (level unspecified)	14	Gains sufficient experience after the battle against the Dragon-blooded Goblin; Richard considers assigning his resulting attribute point to Strength. 14

Background / History

Gunther originated from the Far North Ice Plains, where he was a Snow Bear Hunter. The Highlanders’ homeland has only winter and a short, prized summer; their culture follows strength above all else. 5 34

He was the strongest of the Highland Barbarians held at the Starry Arena. When Richard challenged him for the Barbarians’ freedom and service, Gunther expected his superior size and strength to decide the wrestling match. Richard instead repeatedly threw him, decisively proving himself stronger. Gunther accepted Richard as a leader worthy of Highland loyalty. 4 5 7

After leaving the arena, Gunther became one of Richard’s earliest and most constant followers. He accompanied the group into the wasteland, participated in the founding of High Mountain Keep, and took part in its campaigns against Goblins, Gnolls, bandits, rival armies, Undead, and the spider tide. 8 12 17 29 166 295

Appearance

Gunther is a massive, heavily muscled Highlander whose physique is compared to a sculpted statue. He stands roughly two yelms tall and weighs over two hundred pounds. 14

• Exceptionally robust build, with strength once capable of piercing plate armor with a javelin. 14
• Muscles described as having no superfluous bulk. 14
• Wears a horned helmet in combat. 29
• Has notably prominent buck teeth. 165
• Can wear High Mountain Keep’s oversized Titan Armor, though it is too heavy for stealth work. 74 166

Personality

Gunther is direct, proud, and intensely responsive to displays of strength. Although initially arrogant before his arena match with Richard, he accepts defeat without resentment once Richard proves unquestionably stronger. 5 7

He is impulsive and eager for action, frequently proposing or joining violence before considering consequences. His comrades sometimes physically restrain or punish him for ill-timed outbursts, and he once joined a brawl against Dragon’s Claw soldiers without hesitation. 106 117

Despite his frequent naïveté—especially concerning unfamiliar magic, commerce, and technical knowledge—Gunther is not simply foolish. He can be observant in the field, protective of his comrades, and unexpectedly clear-headed under pressure. During the fall of Winter City, he correctly judged that he was the best person to retrieve a vital Magic Stone and devised a method to evade Undead detection. 35 138 166 177

Abilities & Skills

Highland Physique

Gunther possesses exceptional natural strength, durability, and physical courage even among Highland Barbarians.

• Formerly recognized as the strongest Highlander at the Starry Arena. 4 5
• As a Snow Bear Hunter, combines physical power with the courage and judgment expected of an ice-plains hunter. 5 166
• His full-force javelin throws can pierce plate armor, though a giant beast’s scales deflected one of his throws. 14
• Strong enough to wield a twenty-pound all-steel battle-axe comfortably after his growth at High Mountain Keep. 74

Javelin Combat

Gunther regularly fights with javelins and carries them in a leather back sheath. 14 32

• Throws javelins quickly in battle, including immediately following Richard’s attack on the Hobgoblins. 9
• Uses massed spear throws with the Barbarians to break Gnoll formations before a lance charge. 17
• His javelin was ineffective against the armored scales of the giant beast ridden by the Dragon-blooded Goblin. 14

Battlefield Leadership

Gunther can organize and lead Highland Barbarian warriors in coordinated combat.

• Led the Barbarians during the intervention against the Gnoll attack on the Voya Merchant Guild caravan. 17
• Demonstrated tactical use of coordinated spear volleys followed by a lance charge. 17
• Shows concern for wounded Barbarian fighters and reports critical casualties to Richard. 29
• Remains eager to confront new threats, including the unusually dangerous Black Spiders. 295

Survival and Infiltration

Gunther’s experience as a northern hunter gives him practical survival abilities beyond direct combat.

• Identified that Centaurs’ hoofbeats would prevent stealth and that Hert could not climb walls during the Winter City crisis. 166
• Replaced his Titan Armor and battle-axe with leather armor and Hert’s great scimitars for a stealth mission. 166
• Used vomit to alter his and Rosell’s scent, allowing them to retrieve a Magic Stone from Undead-controlled Winter City in under fifteen minutes. 166

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Javelins — His standard weapons; carried in a leather sheath on his back. 14 32
• Battle-axe — A heavy all-steel axe weighing at least twenty pounds. 74
• Titan Armor — High Mountain Keep plate armor with a mechanical quick-donning design; too cumbersome for stealth operations. 74 166
• Horned helmet — Worn during combat against bandits. 29
• Leather armor and Hert’s great scimitars — Used for the Winter City retrieval mission. 166

Relationships

• Richard — Lord and earliest leader. Gunther accepted Richard’s authority after being defeated in the Starry Arena and remains fiercely loyal to him. 5 7 166
• Rosell — Fellow Highland Barbarian and Berserker. Their relationship includes rough banter, with Gunther accidentally provoking Rosell’s Berserker transformation through a kick. 135 166
• Hert — Comrade and frequent target of Gunther’s blunt humor; Gunther also relied on Hert’s great scimitars during the Winter City mission. 110 166
• Abu — Fellow High Mountain Keep warrior. Gunther immediately joined Abu’s side during the conflict with Dragon’s Claw soldiers. 117
• Nehru — Captive Kobold Shaman whom Gunther helped interrogate and intimidated during the search for the Gale Wolf tribe’s treasure. 31 32

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Starry Arena — As the arena’s strongest Highland Barbarian, Gunther wrestles Richard for his people’s freedom and service. His repeated defeat establishes Richard’s leadership over the Barbarians. 4 5
• Journey to High Mountain Keep — Receives Richard’s supposed “Asura Elixir,” helps fight hostile wilderness tribes, scouts the Goblins near the future keep, and participates in securing High Mountain Keep. 8 10 12 13
• Gnoll Caravan Battle — Leads the Barbarians in a disciplined spear-and-lance assault that saves the Voya Merchant Guild caravan. 17
• High Mountain Keep’s Growth — Takes an active interest in its new weapons and armor, especially the Titan Armor and heavy battle-axe. 74
• Dragon’s Claw Incident — Joins the melee with Dragon’s Claw soldiers, then unsuccessfully fakes an injury to preserve the opposing soldiers’ dignity. 117 119
• War against Stuart — Shows concern for Barbarian losses after the battle with the Blood Knights, but is duped into claiming nearly worthless Blood Knight corpses while seeking Destiny Magic Stones. 135 138
• Winter City — Volunteers for a near-suicidal retrieval mission, successfully recovering a needed Magic Stone with Rosell and proving his courage and judgment to Richard. 166
• Later campaigns — Travels through the Spatial Rift with High Mountain Keep’s forces and remains an enthusiastic fighter during the Black Spider threat. 224 295

Notable Quotes

“We Highlanders always follow whoever has the biggest fist, there’s nothing to be convinced about.” 7

“Today, I’m the most suitable, so I’ll go. If Hert or Abu were the most suitable, they would definitely go too.” 166

“I was a bear-hunting warrior in the tribe back in the day, after all, not some dim-witted fool.” 166

Trivia

• Gunther was impersonated by a large, dark-skinned man in a tavern; the impostor was later exposed while posing as Richard at the Dragon’s Claw military camp. 97 102
• He mistook animal droppings for a possible mineral after finding them in a Goblin cave. 14
• He initially believed he had secured valuable Destiny Magic Stones by claiming Blood Knight corpses, unaware that the stones normally self-destruct when their owners die. 138
• He can be unexpectedly formal when required, once serving as Richard’s umbrella holder while dressed in a tuxedo and spotless silk gloves. 414