WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈

Chapter 34: Loot (3)

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"So the Adventurers’ Guild can't be trusted either? How am I supposed to take commissions when it's this scary?"

Ruben found himself speechless as the youngster before him struck directly at the ethical flaw in his argument.

Still, he had dealt with countless adventurers and was thoroughly seasoned. Deciding threats would get him nowhere, he quickly changed his expression and spoke as though pleading.

"Sigh... Then how much do you want? Honestly, a hundred gold coins is unreasonable."

"Then fifty?"

"..."

As one incomprehensible demand after another came from Gerik's mouth, Ruben put a hand to his forehead and frowned as though his head hurt.

"Listen. This is a genuinely cursed item, one that violates the kingdom's laws! In fact, simply possessing it is enough to earn the death penalty! How can you demand fifty gold coins for something like this?!"

"Really? Then adventurers who find things like this shouldn't hand them over to the Guild from now on, right?"

"..."

No matter how much they talked, they always ended up back where they started.

Perhaps deciding he could not overpower Gerik with words, Ruben began pleading again, this time with a miserable expression.

"Listen, young man. If it were up to me, I'd like to meet your demands. But if my superiors learn I paid that much in compensation for a cursed item, my head will truly roll...!! We don't even have the budget! So how about this? I'll pay you for the crystal and ruby. Can't we settle it that way?"

As he pleaded, Ruben offered Gerik thirty gold coins for the gems. Gerik was dumbfounded to hear it was only a third of what he had expected.

"Have you no conscience? You're not even cutting it in half, you're cutting it down to a third?!"

When Gerik fiercely objected, Ruben calmly explained his reasoning.

Coldly speaking, Gerik was too inexperienced as an adventurer to have a buyer for a cursed artifact. Even if he did find one, selling it would be illegal, and he would spend the rest of his life wanted by the kingdom.

"But the amount I'm offering is legal, so you won't suffer any disadvantage. Please take that into consideration."

"Hmm..."

Objectively speaking, Ruben's reasoning did make sense.

Gerik began considering the offer, and seeing room for negotiation, Ruben presented another incentive.

"I'll give you non-material compensation as well! I'll give you plenty of contribution points. How about an immediate promotion to Copper Plate? Under normal circumstances, that would take at least several years!"

"I'm not sure..."

A Copper Plate promotion was certainly an extraordinary offer, but Gerik was not especially tempted.

Even if a novice who had just started working received a Copper Plate overnight, the existing Copper Plate adventurers would be more likely to see Gerik as someone who got in through connections than treat him as their equal.

Just as Gerik was about to refuse Ruben's offer because of those drawbacks, an idea suddenly came to him.

"...If we're talking about non-material compensation, could I get something else instead of a promotion?"

"Hm? What do you want?"

"I'd like permission to view Skillbooks."

"...What?!"

Surprise appeared on Ruben's face when an adventurer who had only just started knew information normally restricted to adventurers of at least Copper Plate third rank.

"No... How does someone who just entered this line of work know about that...?"

"How do you think I killed Jensen?"

Half-mocking Ruben, Gerik stepped back and drew his longsword.

"...What are you doing?"

"Just watch."

Ruben's expression hardened when Gerik suddenly drew his weapon. Instead of explaining, Gerik raised his sword and used Slash.

"...Slash?!"

As befitted a senior Guild official, Ruben recognized Gerik's strike at once as a lower-tier skill of the Warrior class and stared in shock.

"Who... are you? Are you the son of some knightly family...?"

"You don't need to know my circumstances. Is there anyone in this line of work without a story?"

"Hm..."

Gerik openly stated that he did not want to talk about himself. Since it was not exactly wrong, Ruben sighed instead of pressing him further.

"Fine. I suppose I have no right to question why you know about skills."

At first, Ruben had been so shocked by the Plague God’s Rat Skull that he had not thought deeply about how Gerik had killed Jensen at the scene and returned alive.

Only after seeing Gerik use a skill did he understand why.

"Sigh... A skill... Since you already know one, you might be able to learn more, but are you confident that your foundation is solid enough to use the rest of the skills? To be honest, looking at your body, it doesn't seem that way."

Ruben said that skills could only be learned through steady training as an adventurer. Learning Slash was certainly noteworthy, but Gerik's physical condition did not seem sufficient to learn the remaining Warrior class skills.

"You know this from using Slash. You can only gain three skills through Skillbooks, and only by maximizing their levels can you eventually obtain a class. With learning so limited, wouldn't it be a major loss if you rush into viewing one and fail to learn the skill?"

'There was a restriction like that?!'

Gerik had learned a skill by chance through Lugos, so Ruben's unexpected information astonished him.

At first, he considered pretending to know everything so he could squeeze out more benefits. But he decided it would be too costly if his lie was exposed, so he answered honestly.

"To be honest, I didn't know. That was a thing?"

"You didn't know...? Then how did you learn Slash... No, forget it."

The more Ruben spoke with Gerik, the more his head hurt, and he gave up asking questions.

"...Normally, I'd make an adventurer of at least Copper Plate second rank spend contribution points for this information. But your circumstances are special, so I'll tell you honestly."

After making it sound as though Gerik owed him a favor, Ruben began explaining classes.

Every human could accumulate experience through intense ordeals, then use that experience to learn skills from Skillbooks. By combining three suitable skills and maximizing their levels, one could eventually obtain a class.

"For example, your Slash skill is a typical foundational skill for advancing to the Warrior class. In that sense, now that you've learned Slash, you must not learn skills from another profession. You must only combine skills for the Warrior class."

"..."

"Of course, if you know other combinations, you may be able to obtain a class through them. But at least among the options available through the Adventurers’ Guild, Warrior is the only class you can obtain with Slash as a foundation."

Gerik's expression stiffened at Ruben's words that he had no choice but to become a Warrior.

He realized again how close he had come to disaster if he had learned just any skill without knowing this information, and cold sweat ran down his back.

"...Then what skills are needed to advance to the Warrior class?"

"This is expensive information too, but... I'll tell you. I can deduct it from your compensation."

'What a damn bastard...'

Gerik grew irritated at Ruben bringing up compensation every time he shared information. Still, Gerik was the one in need, so he quietly waited for Ruben to continue.

"To advance to the Warrior class, you choose and combine three of these six skills: Heavy Strike, Slash, Charge, Shockwave, Challenge Shout, and Strength Enhancement."

With that, Ruben began explaining the abilities of each skill one by one.

"Charge is exactly what it sounds like, a skill that lets you close in on an enemy at tremendous speed, almost like leaping at them. Along with Slash, it's popular because it gives Warriors powerful offensive ability."

"Shockwave is a skill that imbues a shield with power, releasing a powerful wave across the ground and ahead of you. Warriors holding the front line favor it because it can unleash a tremendous impact over a wide area."

"Challenge Shout is a skill that, as its name suggests, uses a roar to strongly interfere with the minds of nearby enemies. Enemies who hear the shout become consumed by an intense desire to kill the Warrior."

"Strength Enhancement has a much simpler effect than the previous skills. It literally makes you stronger. You become a powerhouse."

"And... Heavy Strike... You can think of it as the blunt-weapon version of Slash. I don't see any need to learn both."

Merely hearing the descriptions, Gerik found every skill incredible. He cautiously asked Ruben which skills would suit him.

"You? Hmm... Do you use a shield? And do you have companions you can truly trust to watch your back?"

"Well... I don't use a shield, and I don't have any trustworthy companions either."

As though he had expected that answer, Ruben snickered.

"Then Charge and Strength Enhancement are the obvious choices. To be frank, Shockwave and Challenge Shout are often meaningless without good companions."

"Hmm..."

Gerik had no choice but to admit Ruben had a point. After making up his mind, he asked whether he could view the Skillbooks for Charge and Strength Enhancement.

"No."

Ruben flatly rejected Gerik's request. When Gerik asked why, Ruben emphasized that the information he had already given was more than worth the price of one Skillbook.

"And no matter how great your achievement was, you are still only a lowest-rank Wood Plate adventurer. Skillbooks are accessible only from the highest Copper Plate rank onward. Two Skillbooks for a Wood Plate adventurer? If I approved that, my head would roll immediately."

Ruben told Gerik they should settle on permission to view one Skillbook. He tried to persuade Gerik, saying he had done his best.

"Phew... Fine. Then let's make a deal for thirty gold coins and permission to view one Skillbook. Oh! And the belongings of my fallen 'companions' go to me as well."

"You're quite the thrifty one."

Ruben gave a bitter smile, dumbfounded that a Wood Plate adventurer was negotiating like a seasoned veteran.

Still, the conditions Gerik offered were reasonable enough, so Ruben eventually accepted.

"Fine! We'll do that. But... how about viewing the Skillbook after you've gained enough experience? It would be a great loss if you view it for nothing and fail to learn the skill because of insufficient experience."

Having decided to show a novice some goodwill, Ruben seemed determined to give Gerik proper advice to the end.

But Gerik had the cheat known as his status window, and he was certain he would be able to learn a skill. He refused Ruben's considerate suggestion.

"It's fine. I'm confident I can learn the skill within the one-month viewing period."

"...If that's how you feel."

Ruben was not Gerik's father, and Gerik's resolve seemed firm, so he gave up persuading him.

"I'll write you a certificate. Come find me when you have time, and I'll let you view whichever Skillbook you want."

"...What about the gold coins?"

"We have to go home too, you know. I'll make sure you can collect them tomorrow. Come by tomorrow morning and pick them up. While you're at it, after receiving your compensation, show us around the scene of the incident as well."

There was no reason to refuse, so Gerik nodded without complaint.

Once they had reached an agreement, Gerik accepted the certificate from Ruben and prepared to say goodbye.

"Thank you for your consideration."

"Don't mention it. But... are you going back to your lodging looking like that?"

Ruben pointed out Gerik's condition, with his entire body covered in blood.

Gerik had briefly forgotten in the heat of the negotiation, but he realized he looked terrible, drenched in Rat Man blood, and gave an awkward smile.

"...I'll reopen the bathhouse in the rear courtyard. Go wash up before you leave."

"Oh...!! You really don't have to..."

Footnotes:

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