Chapter 4: To a New Town 01
Adventurer Level: 8
Weapon Skills
– Mace: Lv. 12
– Longsword: Lv. 5 (new)
– Dagger: Lv. 4
– Martial Arts: Lv. 6
Armor Skills
– Buckler: Lv. 9
Physical Abilities
– Stamina: Lv. 11
– Strength: Lv. 13
– Speed: Lv. 11
– Explosive Power: Lv. 12
– Reflexes: Lv. 10
Sensory Skills
– Enhanced Vision: Lv. 7
– Hearing: Lv. 5
– Smell: Lv. 4
– Touch: Lv. 5
– Dynamic Vision: Lv. 9
– Presence Detection: Lv. 7
Mental Skills
– Composure: Lv. 6
– Thought Acceleration: Lv. 5
– Excitement: Lv. 2
Special Skills
– Regeneration: Lv. 1
– Stability: Lv. 2
– Steel Body: Lv. 2
The next morning, while it was still dark, I left the town of Tolson.
Although I had made some acquaintances, there was no one to see me off. Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed at the thought of a farewell, so I left early.
Now, the next destination, the town of Euron, was said to be a three-day walk from Tolson.
Of course, that was the case for ordinary humans. For adventurers like me, with stamina and leg strength far beyond that of a typical human, it seemed possible to reach it in just one day.
While I felt a sense of urgency, this was my first long-distance journey, so I was planning for two days.
After all, this world was filled with monsters and bandits. Considering my luck—bad or good—since arriving here, I was certain something troublesome (an event) would occur.
I walked along the main road. It was a dirt path, but it had been sufficiently packed down by carts, making it easy to walk on.
As dawn broke, there were no other travelers around. Given that Tolson was a rural town, it seemed there wasn’t much traffic to begin with.
At the moment, I was equipped with weapons and armor, carrying food, water, and a Dark Metal rod.
The total weight was close to 400 kilograms, and of course, I was walking barefoot to protect my shoes. It felt quite embarrassing to be seen like this, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Carrying this load while walking briskly was undoubtedly a significant training exercise.
As the sun rose and reached its zenith, I took a break. The scenery I had seen so far consisted mostly of fields and small villages, interspersed with forests, grasslands, mountains, and streams.
It was incredibly peaceful, and compared to the grayness of urban life in my previous life in Japan, it felt like a cleansing of the soul.
After devouring all the meat skewers I had bought for lunch, I resumed my journey.
After a while, I spotted a cart stopped by the roadside, with two people standing beside it.
A donkey-like animal was hitched to the cart, indicating it was indeed a wagon, but the load was tilted precariously.
As I approached, I noticed that one of the cart’s wheels was half-broken and rolling on the ground.
It seemed the cart had broken down, leaving its owners in despair.
The two humans, deep in thought with troubled expressions, had dog-like ears protruding from their heads. They belonged to a race known as beastfolk, who, aside from their slightly superior physical abilities, were essentially ordinary humans.
Seeing that they were a young man and woman, they might be a couple.
“What seems to be the problem?” I asked, unable to just walk past them.
The man looked at me and shrugged.
“As you can see, the wheel of our cart is broken, and we’re stuck here. We still have quite a distance to Euron.”
The cart was loaded with goods. They were likely merchants or perhaps moving to a new place.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. Is there anything I can do to help?” I offered.
The man looked a bit surprised but seemed to connect the dots upon seeing my attire.
“Could it be that you’re an adventurer?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“In that case, I’m sorry to ask, but could you help us out? I need someone to go to the Merchant Guild in Euron and explain our situation. If you do, they’ll send a cart to pick us up.”
He had just said “help us out,” and it seemed that adventurers were indeed accustomed to taking on requests or being hired.
“I see. But wouldn’t it take quite a while for them to send someone?” I inquired.
“Well, that can’t be helped. We can’t leave our goods unattended.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s true.”
As I pondered while glancing at the cart, another solution came to mind.
“I don’t mind being hired, but how about I lift one side of the cart and we move along?”
“Huh? No way, even an adventurer couldn’t manage that. It’s pretty heavy!”
“Let me give it a try.”
I placed my hands on the axle of the broken wheel and lifted it.
It was indeed heavy, but lifting one side seemed manageable with one hand. I could easily act as a substitute for the wheel.
“I think I can manage. Shall we give it a go?”
“Uh, okay. Adventurers really are something else,” the man said, his eyes wide with surprise as he began to lead the donkey.
The woman stood on my opposite side, watching the load.
It seemed that as long as I walked at the same speed, there wouldn’t be any issues. We might arrive a bit late, but that couldn’t be helped.
We continued along the road until dusk.
“Wow, this is a lifesaver. But you’re really strong, Soushi. Are you a D-Rank adventurer from Tolson?” the beastfolk man, Gashi, remarked, pouring a bit of alcohol from his flask into my cup.
We were currently inside an empty hut in a rural village.
Villages along the main road often had small huts for travelers, making them a convenient stopover.
The atmosphere reminded me of a mountain hut in Japan, and it was a thousand times better than camping outside, so I was grateful.
“No, actually, I’m still an E-Rank. I just happen to have a bit of strength, so carrying that much weight isn’t a problem for me,” I replied.
“No way! I’ve never heard of anyone carrying three Dark Metal rods like that. Plus, my load isn’t light either. You’ve got some serious strength,” Gashi said, continually impressed. Beside him, the female beastfolk, Nari, nodded in agreement.
“By the way, how long have you two been doing this work?” I asked.
“Oh, about ten years now. I’ve been at it since I was a kid,” Gashi replied.
“You’re quite the veteran. Do you mainly work around Euron?”
“Yeah, Euron is the biggest town in the Viscount’s territory, so we operate mainly from there to dungeon towns like Tolson.”
It turned out that Euron was the capital of the territory governed by Viscount Barius, making Tolson relatively central. I had thought it was a bit sparsely populated for its location.
“What exactly is a dungeon town?” I inquired.
“Ah, you don’t know? It’s a town built next to a dungeon. Our job is mainly to transport materials harvested from there,” he explained.
“Materials? Like Magic Stones?”
“No, no, only the Adventurers’ Guild can handle Magic Stones. We deal with everything else.”
“Oh, I see.”
I hadn’t paid much attention to the handling of materials from dungeons, but it was interesting to learn how the distribution worked.
As I finished my drink, there was a sudden knock at the hut door.
I had sensed someone approaching with my Presence Detection, but there hadn’t been any unusual movements, so it was likely a villager.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man, who I recognized as the village chief.
“Ah, sorry to bother you. You folks might want to stay inside tonight. I heard some howling earlier,” he warned.
“Howling?” I asked, curious.
The chief nodded and continued, “It was the howl of a monster. There’s been one lurking nearby lately—a Night Wolf.”
“Have you issued a subjugation request for it?” I asked.
“Yeah, we’ve decided to do that, but we’re a bit busy with the fields right now,” he replied.
I thought to myself that perhaps prioritizing the monster was more important, but there were things only the locals could understand.
However, a Night Wolf? I recalled that it was an E-Rank monster. They were nocturnal, so as long as one didn’t wander out at night, it was said to be relatively safe, but in these wooden houses, it felt quite dangerous.
“Is there only one?” I asked.
“Yeah, from the tracks, it seems to be just one,” he confirmed.
“Understood. In that case, I’ll take care of it. I am an E-Rank adventurer, after all.”
As I lifted my mace, the chief’s eyes widened slightly.
“So you really are an adventurer! That’s a relief. I can offer you the same reward as the request if you can handle it,” he said.
“Consider it done. Leave it to me,” I replied confidently.
So, an event had indeed occurred. The question was whether it would truly be just one Night Wolf, but I would prepare for anything.
Outside, the night had fully descended. However, thanks to my enhanced vision, I could see well enough in the moonlight to move without issue.
“Sorry to trouble you, but I’m counting on you,” the chief said before leaving, and the area fell silent. It was a tranquility I rarely experienced in Japan.
I headed in the direction where the footprints had been found. The village was small, with only five or six houses, so I quickly found myself outside.
After walking for a while, I heard a low growl not too far away.
Reacting to my Presence Detection, I sensed a monster approaching rapidly. It was just one.
I heard the sound of something large crashing through the underbrush.
As I turned my gaze, I saw a four-legged monster racing toward me like the wind. It resembled a large dog with white fur.
White? The Night Wolf was supposed to be dark gray.
As it closed the distance, I swung my mace in a counterattack, but the creature dodged with an impossible maneuver, evading my strike and retreating.
Now facing the Night Wolf under the moonlight, I could see it clearly. It certainly had the appearance of a wolf, its red eyes glowing with a hint of madness.
“Could it be another rare monster?”
It could also be an albino, but I had no choice but to remain cautious.
The Night Wolf crouched low, waiting for an opening to attack.
I positioned my buckler in front of me and drew my mace close to my side. Its speed was superior to mine. I would have to rely on a counterattack.
The Night Wolf moved, weaving rapidly as it approached me. Its movements seemed to defy the laws of physics. It must have some skills.
The Night Wolf lunged from my left, hiding behind my buckler.
As I swung my mace in that direction, the Night Wolf leaped to my right instead. Was that a feint?
My body shifted slightly. The Night Wolf seized the opportunity, opening its jaws to target my neck.
I managed to avoid a direct hit to my carotid artery, but it sank its teeth into my right shoulder. Thanks to my Steel Body skill, it didn’t tear through flesh, but I still suffered considerable damage as its fangs pierced my skin.
As I swung my mace, the Night Wolf jumped back, creating distance. It seemed to be trying to corner me gradually.
I raised my buckler again. The pain in my shoulder was subsiding gradually, thanks to my Regeneration skill. The Night Wolf likely didn’t realize I had that skill.
I let my right arm hang loosely and began to back away slowly. I would return the favor with a feint of my own.
The Night Wolf charged in, and this time it came straight at me.
I held my buckler low and waited. Just before it reached me, it exploded forward with incredible speed. It had been hiding its trump card.
I braced myself as the Night Wolf’s sharp fangs clashed against my buckler. Incredibly, its fangs shattered the upper half of the buckler in an instant. It lunged at my neck.
But my mace was already poised to strike upward at its belly. “Gah!” it howled, blood spraying from its mouth as it was sent flying diagonally upward.
Though it landed, the Night Wolf could no longer move its legs. I quickly approached and smashed its head with my mace.
“Phew, in close combat, strength really does matter,” I said, hoisting the headless corpse of the Night Wolf and making my way back to the village.