WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈
Chapter 17: First Mission (1)
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With “rookie” practically written across Gerik’s face, the Gnome called Wilber turned to the receptionist with a stern look and demanded an explanation.
Apparently used to such incidents, the receptionist answered in the same businesslike tone without so much as a change in expression.
“If Gerik doesn’t suit you, you may wait for someone else and take on a commission with them. However, as you learned over the past two days, most adventurers avoid the sewer district. If you refuse Gerik, I can’t guarantee when your party will be complete.”
“Fuck...”
As though she had struck a nerve, Wilber scowled and let out a curse. Olin, the human man beside him, spoke up.
“Let’s just do it. We’ve already gone two days without earning anything. If we waste another day, the loss will be too great.”
“Haah... Fine. But! I’ll talk to this young friend first, then decide. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
At Olin’s urging, Wilber sighed as though he had no choice and asked the receptionist.
Since it was no great issue, she nodded and pointed to another table.
“That’s fine. The reception desk is busy, though, so please discuss it elsewhere.”
“Got it...”
The three quietly moved to the table she had indicated. Once seated, Wilber looked Gerik over with a slightly arrogant expression.
“Hey, rookie. Be honest. How many commissions have you done?”
“...This is my first.”
“Holy fuck...”
Hearing that he was a complete novice, Wilber cursed again, his expression plainly asking what they were supposed to do with this guy. Gerik explained his past experiences, trying to make his case.
“I know you have reason to be wary since it’s my first commission. But I traveled to Stonecreek alone, and along the way, I encountered a group of Goblins and took them down by myself.”
Gerik then took out the pieces of Goblin ear he had kept just in case and showed them to the two.
When the Goblin ear pieces, which could only be obtained by killing three Goblins, came out of his pocket, Olin and Wilber’s expressions eased slightly.
“So you’re not a complete greenhorn, then? All right. How about you show us how you swing a sword in that clearing? Honestly, we don’t know whether you killed them or simply cut off the ears of Goblins someone else killed.”
“Sure.”
It was an incredibly rude request, but Gerik had absolute confidence in his skill, Slash, and agreed without hesitation.
Out in the clearing, Gerik drew his longsword from his back and took his stance.
“Good sword, but that stance is...”
Gerik’s combat stance was still rather unpolished, since a stance itself was not aided by a skill.
Just as Wilber pointed that out, Gerik used Slash and swung his sword.
Whoosh!!
The longsword tore through the air, sending a chilling sound in every direction.
The threatening noise startled not only Wilber and Olin, who were watching, but even the other adventurers training in the clearing.
“That should be enough.”
A note of admiration slipped from Olin, the Warrior who had said little until then. Wilber nodded in agreement.
“So you weren’t lying!”
Despite their impressed reactions, Gerik did not stop swinging his sword.
After using Slash in a downward strike, he smoothly linked it into a horizontal slash from below, then followed with another Slash in the opposite direction.
“Pass!”
Pleased with Gerik’s demonstration, Wilber cried out in the mischievous tone characteristic of Gnomes.
With their discussion finished, they returned to the receptionist to register for the commission.
“I’m glad you’ve reached an agreement. I’ll explain the commission now.”
The receptionist began explaining the Goblin extermination commission in the sewers in a businesslike manner.
They would receive one silver coin for killing twenty Goblins. After that, they would receive ten copper coins for every five additional Goblins.
“So there’s no reward for fewer than twenty...?”
“Fewer than twenty counts as a failed commission. Still, you will receive thirty copper coins for ten kills. Please note that nineteen kills are treated the same as ten.”
Gerik pressed the matter, half arguing that the reward requirements were too strict. The receptionist shook her head.
“Originally, there was no compensation beyond the completion reward. However, some adventurers felt that receiving nothing despite achieving some results was too harsh, so this compensation system was created. It is intended to at least cover the minimum cost of labor.”
“If that’s how it is...”
At the receptionist’s explanation that this reward had not even existed before, Gerik and his two companions nodded with resigned expressions.
Once the three seemed convinced, the receptionist took a leather map from behind the counter and handed it to them.
“This map shows the layout of the underground sewer system. It is strictly a rental and remains the property of the Adventurers’ Guild, so you must return it after the commission is complete.”
She went on to explain that losing the map after the commission would incur a penalty of one silver coin, while damaging it would incur a penalty of fifty copper coins.
“And if possible, I recommend staying within the areas marked on the map. Unmarked sections of the underground sewer system may collapse due to deterioration.”
Gerik had learned through gathering information that this settlement had not existed for very long, so he tilted his head at the mention of deterioration.
Still, the receptionist looked busy, and Gerik felt bad asking questions unrelated to the commission. He held back his doubts and listened.
“If there are no objections, may we proceed with the contract?”
“No objections. Go ahead.”
At Wilber’s reply, the receptionist took out a stone contract tablet and showed it to them.
The tablet contained the terms related to the commission. Perhaps for reuse, only the signature lines and commission title were left blank, and the blank spaces showed clear signs of having been wiped clean of chalk.
Olin and Wilber signed as instructed, clearly familiar with the process. Seeing them, Gerik quietly followed suit.
“Young friend, don’t you have a shield?”
“No. The longsword is fairly heavy, so using a shield too would be difficult.”
“Hmm... I see...”
Wilber scratched his chin and thought for a moment after hearing Gerik’s fighting style. After briefly consulting Olin, he approached Gerik to discuss their battle positions.
“Olin here is a typical frontliner who uses sword and shield. How about you take a position slightly behind him and keep the enemy in check while he faces them on the front line?”
Wilber said that while the two of them faced the enemy, he would provide ranged support with a crossbow.
It was a position that offered Gerik some safety in the second line instead of making him a front-line meat shield, so he readily agreed.
As they walked along discussing combat tactics, the party finally reached the entrance to the sewers.
“Good day, guardsmen!”
Wilber greeted the two guards at the entrance in the smooth, friendly manner characteristic of Gnomes. He then showed them the temporary entry permit issued by the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Ah, an extermination commission? Wait a moment.”
After confirming there was nothing wrong with the permit, the guards turned a winch together and raised the portcullis, a barred gate with a grid of openings, blocking the sewer entrance.
“Enter.”
Once the gate opened, Olin and Wilber took thick hoods from their packs and covered their noses and mouths as though accustomed to doing so.
“...What are those?”
Wilber flashed Gerik a grin and said he would understand once they went inside.
Gerik stepped into the sewer after hearing those ominous words, then frowned as an unbearable stench stabbed at his nose.
“The sewers here stink terribly. Without hoods treated with medicine, it’s hard to endure! Want one? Give me ten copper coins, and I’ll give you a hood coated with my special herbs!”
Living up to the Gnome race’s reputation for slyness, Wilber tried to sell Gerik a hood.
It could have been seen as hiding the information to catch Gerik off guard, but Gerik had already learned something of Gnomes’ nature from Bren and Lugos, his two senior adventurers, so he did not get particularly angry.
Instead, he took a herb-soaked cloth from the simple pack on his back and held it over his face.
‘Oh... The smell really is gone?’
Lugos had told him to keep herbal extract on hand as both medicine and fragrance when visiting foul-smelling places such as underground areas and caves. Once Gerik wrapped the cloth around his face like a hood, the pungent herbal extract made the stench vanish as if it had never been there.
“Tch...”
Seeing this, Wilber smacked his lips, realizing that his little side income had fallen through. Without lingering on it, he lit a prepared torch and illuminated the surroundings.
“Let’s go.”
Unlike Wilber, Olin seemed to have no interest in selling hoods. Seeing that the others were ready, he lifted his torch and began walking ahead.
‘No matter how I look at it, something’s strange...’
The huge entrance was one thing, but Gerik felt a sense of unease as he looked over the old yet massive and intricate underground sewer system.
The sewers were far larger than necessary for a medium-to-large town like Stonecreek, so Gerik could no longer contain his curiosity and asked his companions.
“Oh, that? It’s probably because this used to be forgotten ruins from an ancient civilization.”
For a Wood Plate adventurer, Wilber seemed to possess a surprising amount of knowledge, likely from spending a fair amount of time in this line of work.
He explained that when establishing a frontier settlement, ruins like these were usually the first choice.
“Things like waterworks and sewer systems tend to remain, so the basic civil engineering work is less complicated. It’s cheaper than starting somewhere with nothing.”
“What kind of civilization built something this intricate and huge...?”
“How would I know?”
Wilber was still only a Wood Plate adventurer, so his knowledge did not seem especially deep. Gerik decided he would look into it if he got the chance later.
“Kik... Kik!”
“...!!”
As the party chatted and continued onward for some time, they heard the cry of a familiar monster ahead. Everyone immediately drew their weapons.
“Kya!! Kyaa!! Kyaaa!!”
By the time they had their weapons out, the Goblins must have spotted the party’s torch. They approached with hostile cries.
Soon, their silhouettes began to emerge faintly in the torchlight.
‘How will Olin handle this?’
Unlike Gerik, who could swing his heavy longsword one-handed while holding a torch, Olin was a typical front-line Warrior who used sword and shield.
Since the torch prevented him from using his shield, Gerik watched closely to see how Olin would fight in the dark sewer.
“Stick to the left wall!”
Interestingly, Olin, who served as the tank, guided the party toward the sewer’s left wall. He then set down his torch near a dry part of the wall and took up his sword and shield.
‘Oh... That’s clever.’
Following him, Gerik placed his torch somewhere dry to light the area. Then he took position about three diagonal steps behind Olin.
‘He chose the left wall so it would be easier to swing the sword in his right hand. Meanwhile, the Goblins facing us from the front will naturally have a harder time swinging their weapons because of the wall.’
Footnotes:
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