WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Alyo
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈
Chapter 78: Gift (1)
──────
The cooldown on Charge had ended in the meantime, and Gerik immediately used it to slip past the wolves' flank and retreat behind them.
The remaining wolf that had lunged at him too late failed to turn in time, moving farther away from Gerik in confusion.
'Is it because they're such big beasts? They're terrible at changing direction.'
Having mocked them from a distance, Gerik stretched out his left hand toward the Shadow Wolf whimpering after slamming into the first barrier he had raised.
Crack!!
The Shadow Wolf was still half-dazed from the impact with the barrier.
When Thought Whip struck it directly on top of that, its whole body trembled before it finally foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.
'Good...!'
This was the second use of Thought Whip Gerik had learned through actual combat. If he used it on an enemy already reeling from an impact or injury, especially one whose mind was in disarray, its effect was doubled.
"Come on."
Gerik beckoned to the two remaining Shadow Wolves. Casually, as if he could kill the likes of them whenever he pleased.
'It'd be a problem if they ran off on their own.'
Three of their companions had already fallen. If they grew frightened and scattered, a pursuit relying on keen noses and endurance would be in the offing.
So Gerik deliberately provoked them to keep them there.
Roaaar!!
As though Gerik's provocation had worked, one of them leaped toward him with an enraged roar.
But just before its jaws could reach him, Gerik activated Charge, now off cooldown, and leisurely slipped to the side.
'Easy.'
Mocking the creature as it staggered after biting at empty air and losing its balance, Gerik approached the Shadow Wolf convulsing from the first Thought Whip and drove his sword deep into its throat.
Thunk...!!
'If it gets ambushed without knowing about Thought Whip... even a magical beast at the Shadow Wolf's level doesn't stand a chance.'
At first, the Shadow Wolf had merely lain there in pain, making Gerik uncertain how badly it had been affected. It had only taken time.
Having taken the first blow while defenseless, the Shadow Wolf had ultimately been unable to recover from the shock, foam still spilling from its mouth.
As if proving that, the Shadow Wolf that had been struck with Thought Whip after crashing into the barrier was whimpering, seemingly trying to regain consciousness, unlike the first one.
'I need to deal with that one first.'
He had to finish it before it woke and rejoined the fight. But to approach it, he needed to keep the remaining two occupied for at least a little while.
"What are you doing? Come on."
So Gerik teabagged the Shadow Wolf he had just killed, trampling its corpse underfoot as he provoked the remaining two again.
Grrr...!!
Enraged by the sight, the two charged at Gerik with half-mad expressions. But that was exactly what Gerik wanted.
Thunk...!!
Before they could reach him, Gerik used Charge again to escape some distance away. He then approached the Shadow Wolf trying to regain consciousness and cut its throat.
The Shadow Wolves, having witnessed Gerik's cunning, gradually seemed to sense that something was wrong and began to hesitate.
Whine...
This was different from before. Shadow Wolves were not mindless wild beasts. They had realized that the human before them was deliberately exposing openings to deceive them.
And he was playing with them while he did it.
Step...
The two remaining wolves finally withdrew their hatred-filled gazes. They glanced at each other, then slowly began backing away.
"Trying to run?"
Seeing them like that, Gerik muttered arrogantly, as if they had no chance. At the same time, he used Charge with Thought Barrier before him to rapidly close the distance to the fleeing wolves.
Roaaar!!
When Gerik instantly leaped in front of them and blocked their path, the Shadow Wolves realized escape was impossible. In the end, they opened their huge jaws and lunged at him as though making one last desperate struggle.
Boom!
As though accustomed to it, Gerik read the Shadow Wolf's movements with his enhanced Perception and blocked one wolf's teeth with the barrier.
Then he made a short Charge to the side, deflecting the other wolf's attack as well, before slashing the side of the creature passing him with his sword.
Slash...!!
When the blade wrapped in the sharp Thought Blade cut across the Shadow Wolf's side, its entrails scattered in every direction as before.
Only one remained. The anger had vanished from its eyes, leaving only fear as it stared at him. Instead of answering, Gerik extended his left hand.
Creak...!!
Telekinesis unleashed at maximum output tightly bound the creature's muzzle. He could feel the tremendous drain on his Psionics.
But without caring about the cost, Gerik used Charge to approach the struggling beast and brought down Slash, cutting off its breath.
"Whew..."
After finishing the battle, Gerik exhaled and sheathed his sword.
After sitting where he was for a while to recover his stamina, he began examining the Shadow Wolf corpses, remaining alert for a possible attack.
Shhk, shhk...!!
The skinning knife made from sharp Grizzly Owl talons sliced into the Shadow Wolves' hides, filling the area with chilling sounds.
'This isn't easy...'
He had learned skinning at Grimdal's smithy over the past few days. But since he had only recently begun, his hands were terribly clumsy.
Fortunately, the skinning knife made from Grizzly Owl talons was exceptionally sharp. Its blade made up for his lack of skill and barely managed to strip away the Shadow Wolves' hides.
"...Will these even fetch a price?"
The hides looked like a mess even to him. With a sigh, Gerik slung them over his shoulder and leisurely headed back to Stonecreek.
* * *
"I've completed the mission. I'm here to submit the proof."
"Wow, that was really fast."
When Gerik returned after hunting the Shadow Wolves in the Boundary Forest in only a few days, the receptionist's eyes widened in surprise.
After carefully examining the Shadow Wolf teeth Gerik had given her, she stamped her approval on the mission-completion form.
Once she had calculated his contribution points, the receptionist seemed to recall something and continued.
"Oh, right. A letter came for you, Mr. Gerik. There was a small box with it too."
"A letter?"
When Gerik asked, the receptionist confirmed it and told him to wait a moment before heading to the warehouse where valuables were kept.
"Here you go."
"Ah, thank you."
Gerik accepted the items the receptionist handed him, puzzled. A box small enough to fit in his palm, with a single letter resting atop it.
The letter was made of high-quality paper, and its flap bore a wax seal marked with a family crest, presumably for security.
'...That's the Ashburn family's seal?'
Gerik had recently received a seal from Ilvern that allowed him to contact the Ashburn family, so he immediately recognized the pattern pressed into the wax.
'Did something happen...?'
As Gerik examined the letter, something faintly caught his Perception.
A man standing some distance from the reception desk, looking over mission notices at the board, was watching him.
'...What?'
Gerik instinctively sharpened his senses. There was certainly something unusual about the man. It was not a passing glance, but the concentrated focus of someone observing him with a purpose.
That was all, however. Despite that concentrated focus, there was not the slightest hostility or killing intent in it.
Besides, the moment their eyes met, the man naturally turned his gaze back to the notice board. With no reason to pursue the matter, Gerik did not investigate further.
'Well... he probably heard about the Grizzly Owl earlier.'
Gerik dismissed it as nothing. He assumed the man was merely a bystander who had heard the talk about his exploits at the reception desk earlier.
The letter bearing the Ashburn family's seal weighed too heavily for him to dwell on something so trivial.
So, after quickly putting away the box and letter before anyone could see them, he hurried back to his lodging.
As Gerik left the guild, the man's eyes followed his retreating back again from behind the notice board.
* * *
『Mr. Gerik, it has been a long time.』
The letter began with Minos's greeting.
The rest said that Minos was sincerely glad Gerik had survived, and repeatedly thanked him for saving his life.
After the rather lengthy expressions of gratitude, Minos calmly wrote about his recent circumstances.
Thanks to Gerik and Ilvern's swift actions, Minos had escaped with only minor injuries. However, the family had made much even of that, using it as a pretext to order him to take a year away from his studies.
『Thanks to that, I am being forced to remain at the family estate. It is stifling, but there is nothing to be done.』
Minos wrote that he wanted to protest, but knew that the order came from the affection of family members who cared for him, so he was forcing himself to endure it.
As Gerik read about Minos's situation, his eyes lit up at the next passage.
『They say something similar to the ruins found in the Demonwild Forest has appeared in the Great Desert. That is, the place called the Endless Sands Desert!』
Minos wrote that he was considering leaving for the Endless Sands Desert sometime next year.
A legend similar to the one in the Demonwild Forest had recently been confirmed there, and the subject had become a topic of academic interest, apparently piquing his curiosity.
'The Endless Sands Desert...'
The story carried the distinct scent of another dimension, and Gerik found it intriguing. Perhaps one day, he might use the mysterious key he possessed to uncover another secret there.
Then, as Gerik continued reading, his expression suddenly stiffened. The letter mentioned his secret, Skyler's Quintet.
『I was not trying to pry...』
Minos wrote that he had no memory after being fatally wounded by the Grizzly Owl.
Curious how he had survived, he had asked Katrin about what happened while returning to the Ashburn family. Through that, he had naturally learned about Gerik's ring.
『Then I heard something interesting from Sir Ilvern after he returned.』
Minos had not thought much of the ring containing both a Guardian Barrier that blocked attacks and healing power.
But while speaking with the returned Ilvern, he had heard that Gerik's ring had several empty gem settings, and a thought had occurred to him.
『An artifact that combines different types of gems in a single ring, each engraved with a different spell. It was quite a famous item.』
As a mage and archaeology student, Minos had a habit of memorizing the characteristics of well-known artifacts. The distinctive features of Gerik's ring had enabled him to immediately recall a well-known artifact.
After all, only a handful of master craftsmen could create a masterpiece that harmonized five different schools of magic in one artifact without conflict.
As it happened, Minos had encountered a similar artifact in old records.
『Still, it was no more than an idea at that point. Since the crafting technique had been popular in its day... there were a few similar artifacts.』
'But what made him certain...?'
Just as Gerik expected, Minos had been uncertain until a decisive opportunity arose. At an auction house he frequently visited for archaeological research, he had found an interesting listing.
『Interestingly enough, a gem that is part of an artifact called “Skyler's Quintet” was put up for sale!』
Surprised by the listing, Minos wrote that he had wanted to confirm whether it truly was a component of Gerik's ring.
So he took the auction catalogue to Ilvern and showed him the illustration of the lost main body printed within.
『And after seeing the illustration, Sir Ilvern told me that it was indeed the ring Mr. Gerik had worn.』
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
