WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈

Chapter 10: First Battle (1)

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Another day arrived with cold that seeped into his marrow. Unable to bear it any longer, Gerik gritted his teeth as he stared at the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Now that he had kept his promise to Lugos, Gerik painfully worked his stiff joints and tried to rise from his shelter. Just then, he began to hear signs of people near the monastery.

"...?!"

It had been as quiet as the grave for nearly three days, so the sudden presence weighed heavily on Gerik, whose tension had begun to ease.

At the same time, the nightmare from a few days ago naturally came rushing back, and Gerik felt his body stiffen.

'Could it be... the Holy Knight Order?'

From the raiders' leader, Gerik knew there was a good chance Num's Holy Knight Order had set out to capture them.

That was why he hoped the people outside might be holy knights sent to help Lugos's party or members of the Adventurers’ Guild.

'What if it really is the Holy Knight Order? Should I go out and explain what I saw...?'

Even if only to avenge Priest Osrik, Gerik considered revealing his identity.

But when he saw who the approaching people were, he felt as though his heart had stopped.

"Hm. It's still the same."

"Are you sure? Check inside the monastery too."

"Damn... Something feels off..."

The sight of the raiders who had attacked the village and killed its people searching around the monastery for possible survivors sent chills down Gerik's spine.

'You crazy bastards, you're going this far?!'

At the same time, Gerik realized just how important they considered the key in his possession, or perhaps, less likely, the ring.

'If they're this persistent, then even if there's only a one percent chance, they'll come after me the moment I reveal who I am.'

Gerik realized that no matter what happened from now on, he could never let anyone discover that he came from this village or that he possessed those items.

For that reason, he swore that even if he later met a priest or holy knight of Num, he would never tell them about this.

"Nothing inside has changed either."

"Whew... I guess no one got away after all."

"Probably. Let's hurry and rejoin the main force. If we waste time and run into the Holy Knight Order, we're dead."

"You're right. Let's go."

The raiders looked afraid of encountering the holy knights.

Careful not to damage the monastery and incur Num's displeasure and divine punishment, they quickly withdrew.

"Huff... Huff..."

Once they were gone, Gerik felt cold sweat from fear soaking his whole body despite the chill of the early winter morning.

'Should I leave tomorrow...?'

Afraid he might run into the people who had just left if he set out now, Gerik considered holding out for one more day before leaving.

'They were sure the Holy Knight Order would come here. If I stay here any longer, I'll definitely run into them. The problem is... that might not necessarily be good for me.'

It would be fortunate if the holy knights saw him as a victim. But if they grew suspicious and detained him, things would become serious. Gerik's thoughts began to lean toward simply leaving.

'I'm an outsider in this world, after all. I don't know its customs or common sense. Baron and his family would have simply assumed that I was acting strangely because the original Gerik was slow-witted, but would holy knights do the same?'

To be blunt, Gerik no longer looked like a simple-minded young man.

Thanks to the modern education he had received in his previous life, he was closer to an educated intellectual by this world's standards.

If he held a long conversation with the holy knights, they would surely notice that something about him was strange.

'If we can communicate properly, they'll just take the ring and key from me... But if I'm unlucky...'

They could easily mistake him for a straggler from the raiders' group.

Without hesitation, Gerik packed his belongings in the shelter, checked his surroundings, and prepared to leave.

'...Legendary-grade items are priceless, but handing one over to the holy knights just to repay Priest Osrik's kindness would be stupid.'

Having given himself perfect justification for his actions, Gerik stepped out of the shelter.

Fortunately, no one seemed to be nearby. Even though he made a fair amount of noise, no one came looking.

'The monastery...'

Gerik looked toward the monastery the strangers had searched moments ago. He considered visiting it in case there were useful things to take from inside.

'Should I take what I can from the monastery, then observe Mudholm from a distance to see how things are? That might be safe enough...'

Gerik wanted to know whether Lugos was alive, as well as Baron and his family, who had cared for him in Mudholm even if they were not his biological parents.

'...I'm sorry. But going there now would be foolish.'

If he gave the raiders even a single clue, they could hunt him down at any time. Remembering their persistence, Gerik desperately suppressed his lingering attachment.

'Still, I should take plenty of water.'

Since he had barely moved for the past three days, there was still a good amount of water left in Lugos's large leather waterskin.

But based on his experience marching in his previous life, Gerik never underestimated the importance of drinking water.

Forced to accept the risk, he carefully drew water from the monastery well, making sure to leave as little trace as possible, and filled the leather waterskin to the brim.

With the bare necessities secured, Gerik set out toward the Demonwild Forest, following the plan he had made over the past few days.

'This is pain I haven't felt in a long time.'

The leather boots crudely made by the village farmers quickly made Gerik's feet ache after only a few hours of walking.

Blisters and wounds would become a problem, so instead of pushing himself too hard, Gerik stopped to rest again and again.

'Once I reach Riverbridge on the map, the first things I'll buy are proper shoes and winter clothes.'

Having been reincarnated as the son of a poor rural farmer, Gerik's winter clothes could not be called decent even by the most generous assessment.

The heat from walking helped him bear the cold somewhat, but whenever he rested, his cooling body made him suffer considerably.

'Should I stop here for today...?'

Fearing a chance encounter with the raiders, Gerik had marched beyond his capacity until his tension could ease.

But after about half a day, as the sun began to set, his tension finally eased, and exhaustion rushed in faster than usual.

"Where should I make camp...?"

His only experience with camping had been overnight field exercises during his military service in his previous life, so Gerik frowned in uncertainty.

At first, he considered making a simple shelter like the one Lugos had built. But digging one out would take considerable effort and time, and night was already approaching, so he gave up.

"Should I try making a campfire the way Lugos taught me?"

He and Lugos had been distant at first, but their fifteen days together had brought them closer surprisingly quickly.

Once they had become friendly, Lugos often told him stories to pass the time. Among them was how to make a campfire using a camping item called Fire Breath.

'Was it... like this...?'

Gerik took a round wooden canister about ten centimeters long from Lugos's belongings and pulled out its thumb-sized cap.

As Lugos had demonstrated, he blew into the compartment filled with dry fibers, and a flame began to rise.

"Oh... It works!!"

Thanks to the camping item Lugos had left him, Gerik quickly got a flame going without much effort.

He set the dry leaves he had prepared earlier alight, then placed them on the gathered branches. Before long, he had a campfire.

"Ooh... Not bad."

Gerik felt proud of his simple camp, which looked fairly decent for a beginner.

Still, he decided he needed to learn proper camping techniques later, even if he had to spend money.

'Fire Breath is consumable and easy to damage outdoors, so I need to learn how to use tinder and flint too.'

Gerik sat by the campfire, warming himself as he chewed on jerky, when a strange noise reached his ears.

Screech... Kik!

Kyaa! Kya!

It sounded like a child trying to communicate with an animal.

The sound was far from ordinary. Tension surged through Gerik, and he immediately rose, drew the longsword Lugos had given him, and looked around.

Kyaa!! Kya!!

'What is it?! An animal? A monster?'

As if it had spotted the flames, the noise approached the campfire and grew louder.

An unknown monster was clearly coming closer, and Gerik considered what to do.

'Run? But I'm already exhausted, and I've unpacked my things. Running away and leaving my belongings behind in the middle of winter would be no different from suicide.'

More importantly, the sounds were certainly unpleasant, but they were insignificant compared to the roar of a predator like a tiger or bear. Rather than flee blindly, Gerik decided to identify the enemy and respond accordingly.

Kyaa!!!

As if timed perfectly with the end of Gerik's deliberation, the monsters emerged from the darkness, illuminated by the campfire.

They were about the size and build of elementary school children, armed with crude knives and clubs. Strangely, their skin was green.

"...Goblins!"

They looked exactly like the weakest, most common monsters in Tabletop Role-Playing Games.

Gerik saw them glaring at him with savage eyes and shrieking, then quickly prepared for battle.

'Of all things... No, I'm lucky they're goblins.'

He had decided to become an adventurer.

According to the Tabletop Role-Playing Game's setting, as long as he did not let his guard down, even an ordinary farmer could subdue these weakest of monsters with a pitchfork. It made no sense to be scared and run away from them.

"Come on, you beastly bastards!"

Kyaak!! Kyaa!! Kyaaa!!

Gerik spat out a rough curse, making it clear that he was not prey.

But rather than being intimidated by his aggressive stance, the goblins seemed provoked. They answered with loud shrieks, raising their weapons and threatening him.

Kyaak!!

Gerik and the goblins faced one another with the campfire between them.

One goblin stood where the fire did not block its path. Drooling heavily, it gripped its club and charged viciously at Gerik.

As the goblin rushed in, perhaps because of the adrenaline surging through his brain, Gerik's world slowed for a moment.

At the same time, the combat advice Lugos had once given him flashed through his mind.

'Gerik. Let's say you're entering real combat for the first time in your life. How would you attack?'

'Me? Well... wouldn't I raise my sword over my head like this and swing it?'

As though he had heard something unbelievably pathetic, Lugos snorted and rebuked him.

'Don't spout bullshit, rookie. Someone who's never received proper training is going to make a huge swing like that? Forget it. You'll miss and die to a counterattack.'

'...Then what? What should I do?'

When Gerik seriously asked as though he truly had no idea, Lugos rose from where he had been lying on the ground with a bored expression and demonstrated with his sword still in its scabbard.

'Just hold your sword upright around your navel and thrust. A cut is a refined attack that combines several movements. It doesn't suit your first battle, when your head is boiling over. Got it?'

'If you're unsure, just thrust first. Thrusting has the disadvantage of making its path easier for an enemy to read... but with your beginner's skill, they can read a cut or a thrust all the same, so use the thrust because it's at least easier.'

Footnotes:

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