WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈

Chapter 16: Stonecreek (2)

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"It's been a while, sir."

"Good to see you. Everything is in order. Go on in."

Interestingly, although Stonecreek was smaller than Riverbridge, it had more guards and seemed to enforce stricter discipline.

Gerik would normally have had a difficult time verifying his identity properly, but thanks to traveling with Ebon, the caravan master, he was able to enter without any separate proof of identity.

'They inspect people this thoroughly even when they recognize them. The frontier really must be dangerous.'

The guards' attitude made Gerik realize just how dangerous the frontier was. Even Stonecreek, supposedly the safest place around, was like this. He could not even imagine how dangerous the very front lines would be.

"Our journey ends here. Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you as well."

When they arrived at the merchant-only lodgings where the caravan would stay, Ebon bid Gerik farewell.

Gerik, who had been able to reach Stonecreek safely thanks to him, thanked Ebon before saying goodbye.

'There are quite a few shops.'

Since adventurers who earned well also spent freely often came through, Stonecreek seemed to have quite a variety of shops for a town.

He was curious about the town, but registering his identity came first. Gerik headed to the Adventurers' Guild Ebon had told him about.

"That's a lot of people..."

Gerik arrived at a large three-story stone building and was taken aback by the sight of numerous tough-looking men standing in line. That only lasted a moment before an unusual sight drew his attention.

'Whoa! Nonhuman races...!!'

Unlike Riverbridge, where nearly everyone had been human, Stonecreek seemed to have a great many nonhuman races living and working there.

Half-elves, who resembled humans but had long limbs and pointed ears.

Muscular dwarves, only two-thirds the height of an average human but with arms and torsos as thick as logs.

Gnomes, even shorter than dwarves and only about half the height of a human.

Gerik was fascinated by the diverse races he would never have seen in a country village.

"Damn it... This job put me in the red."

"Heh heh... I told you, if you're taking an herb-gathering job, you need to learn how to gather them first."

"Damn it..."

Adventurers chatted all around him. To them, it was probably ordinary talk, but to Gerik, a beginner, it sounded like advice worth its weight in gold. He kept quiet and listened closely.

"Next! Next in line! If no one's coming, I'm moving on!"

"Wait a second...!!"

Gerik had nearly missed his turn while listening to the adventurers. He hurried over to the receptionist with a startled look.

"Yes. What can I do for you?"

"Ah... I'd like to register as an adventurer..."

Gerik explained his business while looking at the red-haired woman, who appeared to be around twenty.

As though she handled this sort of thing all the time, the receptionist handed him a stone tablet and chalk, then asked in a mechanical, bored voice.

"Can you write in the Common Tongue? If you can, fill in your personal details here. If not, you'll have to wait until I finish my regular work before I can fill it out for you."

Apparently assuming Gerik could not read or write, she pointed to an empty table nearby.

"Oh, I can write. Just a moment."

"...?"

She had assumed he was a clueless country bumpkin, so her expression shifted slightly at his answer.

It only lasted a moment. She returned to a businesslike expression, took out a Wood Plate, and waited for Gerik to fill out the form.

"You filled it out well. Since you can read, I'll keep the explanation brief. You can check the jobs on that bulletin board over there. If you ask me about jobs one by one, it'll naturally take a long time, so I recommend checking the board first."

"Ah, yes."

He had wondered why the line was so long. It seemed many adventurers were illiterate, so the receptionists had to explain the jobs aloud.

Gerik was truly glad that Priest Osrik had taught him how to read the Common Tongue. He picked up the Wood Plate the receptionist handed him.

'Finally...'

The Wood Plate was fairly well made, and it bore Gerik's personal details. Seeing his name, rank, issue date, and place of issue, he finally felt that he had become an adventurer, even if he was at the very bottom.

"Hey. If you're done, move aside!"

"Ah, sorry. Sorry..."

One adventurer, bored from standing in line, shouted at Gerik for looking at his Wood Plate for too long.

Despite the rude outburst, Gerik did not get annoyed. He quietly stepped aside.

'Lugos and Bren both said the same thing. There are plenty of adventurers with hidden abilities, so I need to be careful. Stay humble. Stay humble.'

Recalling the advice of the wise seniors he had met before, Gerik moved over to the bulletin board listing the jobs.

He calmly read the notices posted there, trying to understand what adventuring work was like.

'The jobs lower-ranked adventurers can take... Most of them are gathering requests.'

Since they lacked experience and were not very capable in battle, lower-ranked adventurers were mainly assigned tiring, troublesome jobs like gathering.

Gerik decided he needed to get a map of the terrain around Stonecreek as soon as possible.

'There are extermination requests, but... most of them require going deep into the forest, so they're beyond me.'

At best, he might be able to attempt the goblin extermination request for the sewers beneath Stonecreek. Gerik realized that most of the jobs would not be easy.

'First, I need to find lodging.'

The sun would start setting in another two or three hours, so Gerik headed to the inn the caravan had recommended.

* * *

'The Night Watchman... This was the place he recommended, right?'

Gerik had asked Ebon about an inn on the same level as The Oak and Owl, where he had stayed recently. Ebon had kindly recommended The Night Watchman and even given him a rough idea of the prices.

Murmur, murmur...

Since this was an area frequented by adventurers, with many people constantly passing through, The Night Watchman looked at least three times as large as The Oak and Owl.

'There are a lot of nonhuman races here too.'

The inn was especially mixed with different races, more so than anywhere else, since many adventurers stayed there.

Gerik had seen sights like this several times while walking around Stonecreek that day, yet it still fascinated him.

"Hm? A new guest?"

The human innkeeper was so muscular that, at a glance, he could have passed for a dwarf.

Despite his fierce appearance, he seemed to be a rather attentive man. He noticed the arrival of a first-time guest immediately.

"Ebon of the Gray Stag Caravan referred me."

By mentioning Ebon's name, Gerik subtly showed that he was not some clueless newcomer and tried not to be underestimated in the negotiation.

"Ah, Ebon! Is he well?"

"Yes."

Gerik answered briefly, reducing the chance that he might say something wrong about Ebon. Then he explained that he wanted to stay long-term and asked to discuss the price.

"Hmm... A long-term stay? How many months are you thinking? I happen to have a few vacant rooms."

Long-term guests were important customers because they brought the innkeeper steady income, so he took an active interest.

"To start with... I'll try staying for about a month. If it seems to suit me, I may consider staying three to six months."

Having grown accustomed to bargaining through his recent experiences, Gerik saw the innkeeper's favorable attitude and kept his position deliberately vague as he negotiated.

"How about six silver coins a month?"

"What? The average around here starts at eight...!!"

"Come on. I really am planning to stay long-term, and eight is too much."

Gerik continued negotiating with the innkeeper in a skilled, proactive manner. After going back and forth for quite a while, they settled the lodging fee at seven silver coins a month.

"Whew... You're no pushover for such a young fellow. My name's Ronan. This is my wife."

After briefly introducing themselves, Gerik followed the innkeeper to the room where he would stay. He briefly unpacked his things, then came back downstairs for dinner.

"It's a meat stew made with a local specialty. It's tangy and salty, and everyone likes it."

'This is... tomato!!'

Gerik was excited to see an ingredient he had enjoyed in his previous life.

He scooped up a generous spoonful of Ronan's stew and put it in his mouth. The tomato's distinctive savory flavor spread through his mouth, filling him with delight.

'Now this is a meal...'

Savoring the delicious dish, packed with mushrooms, garlic, celery, and tomatoes, Gerik brought his first day in Stonecreek to a close.

* * *

The next day, Gerik woke early and, as usual, practiced Slash by swinging his sword.

He trained until he was sweating despite the cold winter dawn wind. Once the morning sun had fully risen, Gerik put on his gear and headed to the Adventurers' Guild.

'Hm... Herb gathering won't be easy.'

Standing before the guild bulletin board, Gerik came to the opposite conclusion from the day before. Herb-gathering jobs seemed even harder than extermination jobs.

'Other adventurers have always wandered around this area, so they can gather herbs even in winter... But if a beginner like me goes searching...'

Even in the warm south, where almost no snow fell, a winter mountain was still a winter mountain.

Gerik realized that, as a beginner, he would face all kinds of problems carrying out gathering jobs before spring arrived.

'If I force myself to take a gathering job now, I'll have to join another party and finish it with them. But would they really take in a beginner like me?'

If he truly wanted to, he could lower his share and take the job with the attitude that he was there to learn.

But Gerik had already spent more than half of his money and was beginning to feel the financial pressure. He did not want to humble himself that much just to take a gathering job.

'In the end, the only answer is the goblin extermination request.'

Realizing he had no other choice, Gerik sighed and went to the receptionist to apply for the goblin extermination job.

"The sewer goblin extermination request? You can take it, but... do you have a party?"

"What? A party?"

When Gerik seemed to know nothing about it, the receptionist explained that the job was a cooperative request requiring at least three people to apply.

"Oh... I don't have a party..."

There was no way for him to find companions in this place where he knew no one, so Gerik was flustered. Seeing that, the receptionist offered another option.

"Then would you like to use our Adventurers' Guild's Temporary Companion Referral System?"

The receptionist explained that there was a system for adventurers without regular companions, or for those taking side jobs while their usual companions rested. It connected interested adventurers so they could take cooperative requests together.

"Oh, that sounds great! I'd like to apply."

"All right. Some people have been looking for one more person since two days ago, so I'll connect you with them. Could you wait over there? They said they would come by this morning."

It seemed that once someone applied for the Temporary Companion Referral System, they had to come to the Adventurers' Guild at a set time every day from the next day onward to check for matches.

Not long after Gerik began waiting for temporary companions, the receptionist called him over.

"Let me introduce you. This gentleman is Gerik. He's a ninth-rank Wood Plate adventurer. Gerik, please greet them. These two are Olin and Wilber, both sixth-rank Wood Plate adventurers."

Gerik turned at the receptionist's words and saw a short gnome and a human man looking at him with clear displeasure.

"No... Ninth rank? This is an extermination job. Isn't that too much? He looks like a complete rookie. Don't you have anyone else?"

Footnotes:

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