WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈

Chapter 42: New Companion (3)

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One of the matters Gerik had agreed on with Sir Ilvern the previous day came up, so he put on the most interested expression he could and asked,

"A security deposit...? How much are we talking about?"

"I'll put up thirty gold coins in my name."

"...!"

Gerik deliberately widened his eyes at the unexpectedly large sum and looked at Minos.

It was an act, but thirty gold coins was genuinely no small amount, so it was not difficult to look surprised.

"How do you have that much money?"

"As I mentioned earlier, I come from a wealthy family. And since my family is in trade, we have plenty of money."

Without hesitation, Minos took a pouch of gold coins from his clothes and set it on the table. He loosened the opening slightly, revealing the glittering coins inside.

Even after taking out such a fortune, Minos showed no sign of unease. He looked utterly indifferent, as if he had set down a few copper coins.

'...Not just a wealthy family. A noble house.'

Gerik quietly snickered to himself, careful not to show it, then put on an expression as though he had been persuaded.

"...What kinds of missions are you planning to take on?"

Seeing that Gerik seemed halfway convinced by his bold offer, Minos brightened.

He said they would focus on higher-level Wood Plate missions to aim for promotion to Copper Plate. Once promoted, they would mainly take on missions related to exploring ruins, since that was why the party had gathered in the first place.

"...That doesn't sound bad. Still, I'd like to see your companions' skills for myself before deciding. Would that be possible?"

At Gerik's pretended surrender, Minos's face lit up.

He must have been secretly worried Gerik would refuse. Unable to hide his delight, he rose from his seat and suggested they head straight to the lodging where they were staying.

They could show each other their skills there.

* * *

'...You call a place like this a boarding house?'

Gerik could not hide his disbelief when he arrived at the place Lord Minos had called a boarding house.

It might have been called one, but the lodging was nowhere close to an ordinary boarding house.

Stonecreek was a frontier town where most buildings were made from rough timber and brick. Yet on its outskirts stood a small manor that gave off an air of striking luxury.

'His family probably arranged this manor for him...?'

Perhaps the Ashburn family had been uneasy about leaving Minos completely on his own when he had only just begun adventuring. It seemed they had rather forcefully arranged a place for him to stay, at least until he became accustomed to the work.

Reading between the lines, Gerik quietly snickered as he looked at the manor.

'He must be the youngest son they dote on terribly.'

When they entered the manor's courtyard, a Half-elf with her hood pulled low greeted them.

She wore fine black leather armor, carried a longbow on her back, and held a spear in one hand like a staff.

Her eyes seemed strangely sharp as they swept over Gerik, perhaps because of her race. Lord Minos approached her and explained the situation.

The Half-elf woman listened silently. At the mention of Gerik wanting to verify their skills, she frowned slightly before smoothing out her expression and walking over to him.

"So you're the Warrior our leader found impressive last week? Nice to meet you. I'm Katrin. I used to be a hunter, and I'm fairly confident in tracking, archery, and scouting."

It was a brief, straightforward introduction.

Whether she was simply not talkative or displeased that Gerik had asked to see their skills, she added nothing further. Instead, she drew the longbow from her back.

Then she moved to the training yard in front of the manor and pulled the bowstring without warning.

Piiing!! Piiing!! Piiing!!

The arrows flew one after another and struck the exact center of the distant target.

The last arrow even split the end of one already embedded in the target before lodging there. It was a feat worthy of being called a trick shot.

'...She's amazing.'

Since he would be joining their party now, Gerik deliberately showed his admiration instead of hiding his feelings as he had before.

He then naturally shifted his gaze to Sir Ilvern and asked for a demonstration with his eyes.

"I'm Ilvern, a Warrior and former mercenary."

Since everything had already been coordinated with Gerik, Sir Ilvern did not seem inclined to have a lengthy conversation with him.

After that short introduction, he drew a mace from his waist and slammed it down onto the ground with all his might.

Boom!!!

A deafening crash rang out. The ground caved in, and a shock wave spread in every direction.

It was power that could never be displayed through brute strength alone.

An ordinary person might easily have missed it, but Gerik had trained Slash countless times. He did not miss the strange sensation of the unnatural force that had flowed through the mace at the moment of impact.

'...A skill.'

It was the first attack skill Gerik had seen besides Slash, and he was deeply intrigued.

Still, he pretended to know nothing and acted impressed.

Watching Gerik's reaction, Lord Minos seemed to realize that Gerik was practically already in his party. He looked triumphant.

Perhaps because of that, he drew his staff with a more relaxed, confident expression.

With practiced movements, he demonstrated several spells in succession.

Starting with the Magic Missile Gerik had seen during his fierce battle with Owen, one unfamiliar spell after another unfolded.

Arrows made of lightning pierced targets. Minos turned himself invisible, then scattered an unknown sticky substance all around to create obstacles nearby.

As if mindful of Gerik, he appeared to demonstrate only spells that could pose a real threat in battle.

'He still looks so young, but his magic is the real deal.'

After watching their demonstrations to the end, Gerik deliberately put on an openly admiring expression and nodded.

"...You're all incredible. Fine. I'll join."

Minos's face lit up the moment Gerik finished speaking.

Yet just as he was about to happily respond, Katrin, who had been watching silently with her arms crossed, spoke first.

"Who says? I haven't agreed yet. We've shown you our skills, so shouldn't you prove that you're qualified too?"

Unlike Sir Ilvern, Minos's retainer, Katrin had ‘by chance’ joined Minos's party. She seemed to be deliberately putting on a show of resistance to demonstrate that she was different from Sir Ilvern, who had already discussed matters with Minos beforehand.

Minos raised a hand to stop her in surprise, but Gerik raised his hand first to stop him.

"Ah, you're right. That makes sense. I should show you my skills too."

Gerik drew his longsword without complaint at Katrin's demand.

He raised the sword, lowered his stance for a moment, then exploded forward by kicking off the ground with tremendous force.

Boom!!

A thunderous sound like the earth splitting apart echoed in every direction. Gerik reached the wooden dummy in an instant at incredible speed, scattered a sharp silver flash through the air, and drove his longsword down with all his might.

The torso of the dummy, made from a thick log, was cleanly severed diagonally.

Shhk!!

Silence fell for a moment after Gerik's terrifying demonstration.

They had already known about Slash through reports, but it seemed they had never expected him to use Charge as well.

Katrin and Sir Ilvern's eyes widened at the same time, as though stunned.

Minos was no different.

Seeing with his own eyes that Gerik was far more skilled than he had thought, Minos looked at Sir Ilvern with a triumphant expression.

His entire body seemed to be saying, 'See? I told you so.'

'...He's still a kid.'

Gerik quietly snickered to himself at Minos, who had not yet learned to restrain his emotions and was openly delighted.

Outwardly, though, he maintained a calm expression.

"...Accepted."

Based on the information they had already gathered and Minos's favorable attitude, the two had intended to accept Gerik into the party without argument.

But after Gerik displayed the shocking sight of using Charge today, they genuinely wanted him in the party. That was how Gerik came to join his third party.

"Hehe! That's great! They say you should raise the sails when the wind is blowing. Now that you've decided, how about we make plans for the future together?"

Minos led them inside, intending to explain the plans he had devised so far.

Gerik had no reason to refuse, so he silently followed him into the lodging.

"Our party's ultimate goal is to explore ancient ruins near the deep interior of the Demonwild Forest, at the far end of the Boundary Forest."

"..."

"I was searching through ancient documents at the academy when I discovered that there were unexcavated ruins! I'm sure they'll be filled with fascinating things!"

Perhaps because it concerned his interests, Minos excitedly spread a map across the table as he spoke passionately.

He said they had no intention of pushing in recklessly from the start. Following Katrin's advice, since she was skilled at forest exploration, they would take a gradual approach, first learning the terrain of the Boundary Forest.

During that process, he explained that they would follow Sir Ilvern's advice as much as possible while efficiently taking on the missions needed for promotion to Copper Plate.

"More specifically, here's the plan."

Minos pointed at the map and began explaining the stages one by one.

The first stage was the entrance to the Boundary Forest.

Their first objective was to hunt several Goblin settlements inhabited by a mix of Hobgoblins and Bugbears while becoming familiar with the terrain.

He added that it would also be the perfect level for coordinating with Gerik, who had just joined.

His finger moved deeper into the forest.

The second stage was the inner Boundary Forest, where Boarman territory began.

Unlike the crudely armed Goblins, the Boarmen had decent equipment, so they would need to be careful. Minos said they would cautiously hunt them while also taking on missions to gather Silver Bellflowers and Steelwood, which only grew in that region.

He added that gathering missions offered a respectable amount of contribution points.

Gerik silently looked down at the map, assessing how well the plan was organized.

It was not bad. In fact, it was quite thorough.

"The final third stage is..."

Minos paused, his eyes gleaming as he pointed to the bottom of the plan.

"Investigating the ruins I have targeted at the far end of the Boundary Forest. There is a Bugbear colony nearby, so it will be quite dangerous. We'll need to be fully prepared."

'...That's a fairly intense plan.'

It was gradual, but far from easy. Gerik calmly looked over the plan.

'Still... this plan isn't bad for me.'

It was dangerous, but Gerik thought it was a risk worth taking. Aside from gaining experience alongside powerful companions he could trust, Gerik had another motive.

Recently, the rate at which his skill proficiency increased had slowed drastically. He had begun to feel the need to face stronger monsters.

'If I follow this plan, it should help a lot with grinding skill proficiency.'

While Gerik was lost in thought, Minos finished explaining the plan and folded the map before putting it away.

He then looked around at everyone and asked,

"What do you think? Do you have any questions about my plan?"

Gerik was silent for a moment, lost in thought, before voicing what he wanted to ask.

"I think the overall plan is good. But since it's fairly demanding, I'd like to confirm what abilities the party members have."

"Abilities...?"

Footnotes:

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