WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈

Chapter 14: Riverbridge (3)

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Gerik had come to understand just how important Slash was through his battle with the goblin two days ago.

So instead of lazing around in his spare time, he decided to spend it in the inn's yard, sword in hand, honing his trump card.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The vicious sound of his sword cutting through the air echoed across the yard.

After Gerik had been swinging for a while, the innkeeper, drawn by the noise, opened a window and began watching his swordsmanship.

"Whew... I thought you were a complete greenhorn, but you've got some real talent. If you're careful, you won't die on the road so easily."

Though he had only been a low-ranking adventurer, the innkeeper had lived that life for quite some time. He had a decent eye for these things, and Gerik's swordsmanship impressed him.

"Thank you."

Gerik gave an embarrassed smile at the compliment. Encouraged, he trained a little longer than he had planned.

By the time he stopped, sweat had soaked his entire body despite the early winter cold.

'Phew... Come to think of it, I think Slash had a proficiency indicator on the status window I saw in that dream... Does repeating this training raise it? Or was it just a stupid dream?'

Gerik recalled his dream of Seoljeongchung from two days ago. As he thought how convenient it would be if he really had a status window and remembered Seoljeongchung's notebook from the dream, a strange notebook suddenly appeared in the air before him.

[Name: Gerik]

[Occupation: Unemployed]

[Attributes]

Strength: 3 (An attribute that affects physical power, weight capacity, and attack power.)

Dexterity: 3 (An attribute that affects balance, reaction speed, movement speed, manual dexterity, and more.)

Health: 3 (An attribute that affects endurance, disease resistance, and life force.)

Intelligence: 3 (An attribute that affects memorization, logic, deduction, language, and thinking ability.)

Perception: 3 (An attribute that affects awareness of one's surroundings, danger detection, and intuition.)

Charisma: 3 (Influence over others in negotiation, persuasion, intimidation, and more.)

[Skills]

Lv. 1 Slash (2/100)

Gerik shuddered as the scene from his dream unfolded before his eyes once again. At the same time, he realized that the dream from two days ago had not been a mere illusion.

'Oh? Come to think of it...'

Gerik stared blankly at the status window for a while, stunned. Once he came to his senses, he noticed a subtle change in the skill section.

'My proficiency went up by one...?!'

Apparently thanks to the hours he had spent practicing Slash, Gerik's skill proficiency had risen by a tiny amount.

"...I'll have to train every day from now on."

Excited by the increase in proficiency, Gerik began training the moment he woke up the next day, swinging his sword with all his might.

He was so fervent that even the other adventurers, who had shown no interest in him the day before, came over to watch with curiosity.

"I thought he was a greenhorn who didn't know anything... but he really knows how to swing a sword."

"Yeah. Where'd he learn that?"

Praise flowed from the adventurers leaning against the windows and watching him. Though Gerik tried not to let it get to him, the encouragement made him swing even harder.

"...Ghk!"

Had he been swinging for too long? A sharp pain shot through his burning palms, forcing him to stop.

"Damn... My palms are torn up."

Caught up in the joy of growing stronger through his skill and the admiring gazes around him, Gerik had overdone it. In the end, his palms could not take it anymore.

As he drew water from the well and washed his hands with a troubled look, the innkeeper, who had seen him, spoke up.

"Hey, young man. Training is a valuable companion that saves your life, sure... but an adventurer's body is their greatest asset. Be careful."

The innkeeper opened a cupboard, took out a wooden box, and lifted its lid.

"Try putting this on. It's swamp ash ointment. It's good for cuts and torn skin."

"Ah, thank you, sir."

"Sir? Come on. We never introduced ourselves, did we? I'm Bren. Call me by my name from now on. Drop the 'sir.'"

"All right. I'm Gerik."

The two briefly exchanged names, something they had not done the day before. Then, at Bren's suggestion, Gerik applied the white, cream-like ointment to his palms.

"It's only a minor injury. Put that ointment on, and it'll be healed by tomorrow."

"...That quickly?"

Even by the standards of the advanced medicine from his previous life, the wounds on his palms would have taken several days to heal.

When Bren confidently claimed that a single ointment would heal them in one day, Gerik asked again in disbelief.

"Why would I lie to you? Go to sleep and wake up, you brat. It'll really be better."

"Hmm..."

It sounded like boasting, so Gerik found it hard to believe. Still, Bren was so confident that there was no point in arguing, so Gerik quietly nodded.

"Does this ointment work on blisters too?"

"Ah, did you get blisters on the road here? It works on those too, but I'd recommend something else. Hexarium Herb harvested from the Demonwild Forest works even better. You can buy it at the general store, by the way."

"Ah..."

Gerik immediately thanked Bren for the useful information. Seeing how polite he was, Bren looked at Gerik with interest.

"If you're done training, go eat. Everyone else has already eaten except you."

"Ah..."

So that was why the adventurers had suddenly started watching him. It was already lunchtime. Gerik followed Bren, sat in the same spot as the day before, and ordered a meal.

'This is good.'

It seemed to be meat and vegetables simmered in milk. The cream stew tasted like a dish he had often enjoyed in his previous life, and it pleased Gerik's palate.

"You really eat well for a kid who likes milk."

"Yes. I'm still growing."

Bren was half-teasing Gerik, referring to how Gerik had refused beer and drunk milk the day before.

But unlike his young body, the soul inside Gerik was that of a mature adult. Bren's provocation did not shake him in the slightest.

"Do you know anything about the town of Stonecreek?"

"Hm? Why there?"

"Well, I was thinking of starting out as an adventurer there."

Since Bren, the innkeeper and a former adventurer, looked unoccupied, Gerik asked questions to draw information from him about a suitable starting point.

"Oh... Stonecreek, huh? Why start there?"

"Well..."

Gerik hesitated for a moment over whether to tell Bren his entire plan. Still, since he was asking for advice, he honestly explained his reasons one by one instead of hiding them.

"As you can see... I'm a greenhorn. I really don't know anything. Charging blindly into the forefront of the frontier to become an adventurer when I'm like this would be the same as trying to kill myself."

"That's true."

"...So I thought I'd slowly build experience somewhere like Stonecreek, where the frontier has nearly been settled."

"Oh..."

Gerik looked like he knew nothing, yet he seemed to have a plan suited to his limits. A look of interest appeared in Bren's eyes.

"You're an odd one."

"...Me?"

"Yeah. You're dressed like some shabby farmer, but your weapons and pack aren't bad. Your body looks like you've suffered since childhood, yet the way you talk and make plans has a touch of refinement to it..."

"..."

Like someone who met countless people for a living, Bren analyzed Gerik with piercing insight. Gerik felt a chill run down his back and fell silent in alarm.

"Relax. You think I'm going to eat you or something? It's just how it looks. Don't worry. I'm not the type to dig into a guest's past or sell information about them. Besides, if I really meant to stab you in the back, I wouldn't be saying this."

Bren changed the subject, saying Gerik's plan was sensible and realistic.

"I think going to Stonecreek is a good choice too. Like you said, it's a town where settlement is mostly complete, so you only see small fry like goblins now and then. It's not especially dangerous."

Bren reached beneath the counter, pulled out a leather map, and laid it beside Gerik's table as he continued explaining.

"Also, frontier towns spread out from Stonecreek like a fan, so the Adventurers' Guild is based in Stonecreek, right at the center. That's another point in its favor. It's convenient for registering as an adventurer and taking missions."

"Ah... There's an Adventurers' Guild there?"

"Huh...? You were going to Stonecreek without even knowing that?"

Gerik's plan had certainly sounded like it was built on solid information.

Yet when Bren asked about the details, Gerik did not know the important things at all. The contradiction left Bren bewildered.

"Well... Actually... I'm just following the recommendation of an adventurer who stayed in my village for a few days..."

"Good grief..."

Bren realized that the young man before him had acted like he had some complicated story, but in truth, he had simply gotten carried away by an adventurer's words and made a plan without any real preparation.

"Phew... You shouldn't trust other people's words so easily. What if that adventurer had been trying to fleece you?"

"..."

Gerik had spent a good deal of time with Lugos and knew what kind of person he was. He also knew that, given the urgency of the situation then, Lugos had no way to deceive him.

Still, explaining that would mean explaining the incident with the raiders, so Gerik did not argue.

"Anyway... When you get to Stonecreek, go to the Adventurers' Guild and register as a Wood Plate adventurer first. At the beginning, your rank will be low, so you'll only get trivial missions that don't pay well. But if you keep completing requests, you'll gradually be able to take higher-ranking missions. The money will get better too."

"Ranks...?"

Once Bren mentioned adventurer ranks, Gerik became curious about the system and asked how the grades were divided.

"Wood Plate starts at Rank 9 and goes up to Rank 1. Copper Plate starts at Rank 5 and goes up to Rank 1. Silver Plate... I don't know. Copper Plate was the highest I ever got."

After speaking, Bren naturally turned and looked proudly at the copper-colored plate he had hung on the wall. The round plate, no bigger than a child's palm, bore Bren's name and the number 3 in the Common Tongue.

"Wow, you were a Rank 3 Copper Plate adventurer..."

"Yeah, I was doing pretty well in my day."

As though reminiscing about his proud younger days, Bren smiled with his back still turned to Gerik as he looked at the hanging Copper Plate.

"Is Copper Plate really that high? It comes after Wood Plate, so isn't it still just a low-ranking adventurer?"

Bren had been lost in thought when Gerik casually dismissed Copper Plate. Bren looked at him in disbelief.

"Is it high? Of course it's high, you brat! Do you know where the overwhelming majority of adventurers usually end their careers?"

"Uh... Copper Plate?"

"Don't make me laugh. Most are lucky if they even reach the upper end of Wood Plate, you ignorant little brat."

Perhaps Gerik's unintentional provocation had gotten under his skin. Bren answered in the slightly rough manner he must have used in his adventurer days.

Then, as if he suddenly caught himself, he quickly composed his expression into one befitting an innkeeper and continued.

"Anyway... Your plan is pretty good. Follow what you've laid out and take things calmly. And don't forget, getting impatient as an adventurer gets you killed."

Gerik could tell that Bren had formed a fairly good impression of him. Feeling more confident, Gerik asked him a bolder question.

"Bren, do you know how to access a Skillbook? I heard using one can make you strong in an instant..."

Gerik asked about Skillbooks with an innocent expression, as though he knew nothing. Bren looked at him as if he were ridiculous and snickered.

"Give it up, brat. Where'd you hear that nonsense...? You think just anyone can read a Skillbook because they want to? You'd need to be at least a Rank 2 Copper Plate adventurer before you could access one. Probably..."

"Hmm... So once I reach Rank 2, I can access one whenever I want...?"

Footnotes:

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