Ossan Saikyō Chapter 4 — To a New City… | | Part 01
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Adventurer Level 8
Weapon Skills
【Mace】Lv.12
【Longsword】Lv.5 (NEW)
【Dagger】Lv.4
【Martial Arts】Lv.6
Defense Skills
【Buckler】Lv.9
Physical Skills
【Vitality】Lv.11
【Strength】Lv.13
【Speed】Lv.11
【Surge】Lv.12
【Reflex】Lv.10
Sensory Skills
【Vision】Lv.7
【Hearing】Lv.5
【Scent】Lv.4
【Touch】Lv.5
【Dynamic Acuity】Lv.9
【Presence Detection】Lv.7
Mental Skills
【Composure】Lv.6
【Thought Acceleration】Lv.5
【Fury】Lv.2
Special Skills
【Regeneration】Lv.1
【Stability】Lv.2
【Steel Body】Lv.2
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Early the next morning, while it was still dark, I left the town of Tolson.
There were people I’d gotten fairly close to, but no one came to see me off. Well, I left early partly because it would’ve been embarrassing if anyone did.
Now then, the next destination, the town of Euron, is apparently a three-day walk from Tolson.
That’s for normal people, though. For adventurers, whose stamina and leg strength far surpass ordinary humans, it can take as little as a day.
I do want to get there quickly, but since this is my first long-distance journey, I’m planning for two days.
After all, this is a world where monsters and bandits exist. Given my track record of luck, or bad luck per se, since coming here, I’m almost certain some kind of trouble event will happen.
I’m walking along a main road. It’s a dirt path, but it’s been treaded on by wagons and such, so it’s not difficult to walk on.
It’s just barely dawn, so there’s no one else around. Tolson itself is a rural town, so there wasn’t much traffic to begin with.
By the way, I’m currently carrying my weapons and armor, along with food, water, and Dark Metal rods.
The total weight should be close to 400 kilograms, and of course, I’m walking barefoot to protect my shoes. It would be pretty embarrassing if someone saw me like this, but it can’t be helped.
Just walking briskly with this load is already excellent training.
When the sun rose and reached its peak, I took a break. The scenery so far has been peaceful, occasional fields and farming villages, with forests, plains, mountains, and small streams scattered around.
It’s incredibly tranquil. Contrary to the gray urban landscapes of my previous life in Japan, it feels as if cleansing my mind.
After finishing all the meat skewers I’d bought for lunch, I started walking again.
After a while, I spotted a wagon stopped by the roadside, with two people standing beside it.
The wagon was hitched to a donkey-like animal, so I suppose it counts as a carriage, but the cargo bed was tilted heavily to one side.
As I approached, I saw that one of the wheels had been half-destroyed and was lying on the ground.
It looked like the wagon had broken down, leaving them stranded.
The two people standing there with troubled expressions had dog-like ears protruding from their heads. Beastfolk, a race with slightly superior physical abilities, but otherwise basically human.
Judging by their appearance, they were a young man and woman. Probably a couple.
“What seems to be the trouble?”
I couldn’t just walk past, so I asked. The man looked at me and shrugged.
“As you can see, the wagon wheel broke, and we’re stuck here. We've still got a ways to go before we reach Euron, though.”
The wagon was loaded with cargo. They were probably traveling merchants… or maybe moving places.
“Yeah, that’s pretty bad. Is there anything I can help with?”
At that, the man looked slightly surprised, but after taking in my appearance, he seemed to realize something.
“Say… you're an adventurer?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, could I hire you? I need someone to head to Euron and explain the situation to the Merchant's Guild. They’ll send a wagon to pick us up.”
He said “hire”, and apparently it’s common for adventurers to take requests or be employed like that.
“I see. But wouldn’t that take quite a while before help arrives?”
“Can’t be helped. We can’t just leave the cargo behind.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
As I nodded, looking at the wagon, another solution came to mind.
“I don’t mind being hired, but what if I just lift this side of the wagon and we move forward like that?”
“Huh? No way. Even for an adventurer, that’s impossible. It’s really heavy.”
“Let me try.”
I grabbed the axle area where the wheel had broken and lifted.
It was definitely heavy, but lifting just one side… I could probably manage it with one hand. Acting as a substitute wheel shouldn’t be a problem.
“I think it’ll be fine. Want to try moving?”
“Uh… alright. Adventurers really are something.”
The man’s eyes widened as he started leading the donkey forward. The woman watched the cargo from the opposite side.
As long as I walked at the same pace, there didn’t seem to be any issues. It would delay my arrival a bit, but that couldn’t be helped.
We continued along the road until sunset.
◇◆◇
“Man, this really helps. But Soushi-san, you’re insanely strong. If you’re from Tolson, you must be D-rank, right?”
The beastman, apparently named Gashi, said that as he poured a bit of alcohol from his flask into my cup.
We were currently inside an empty hut in a small farming village.
Villages along the road often serve as rest stops for travelers, so many of them have huts like this prepared.
It felt like a mountain lodge back in Japan, far better than sleeping outside.
“No, I’m actually still E-rank. I just happen to have a bit of strength, so that level of weight isn’t an issue.”
“No, no, carrying three Dark Metal rods like that? Never heard of it. And my cargo ain’t light either. That’s some serious strength.”
Gashi kept expressing his admiration, while the beastwoman beside him, apparently named Nari, nodded, saying, “Seriously”.
As expected, the two were indeed a married couple, working as merchants, or rather, transporters subcontracted by the Merchant Guild.
“By the way, how long have you been doing this kind of work?”
“Hmm… over ten years, I guess. Been at it since I was a kid.”
“So you’re veterans. Do you mainly operate around Euron?”
“Yeah. Euron’s the biggest town in the Viscount’s territory, so we work around there, going to dungeon towns like Tolson.”
Apparently, Euron, where I’m headed, is the largest city in the Barius Viscount’s domain, essentially the capital of the region.
That means Tolson was actually fairly central. Though it didn’t feel that populated.
“What exactly is a dungeon town?”
“Huh? You don’t know? It’s a town built near a dungeon. Our job is mostly transporting the materials gathered there.”
“Materials? Like mana stones?”
“Nah, magic stones are handled only by the Adventurers Guild. We deal with everything else.”
“I see.”
I hadn’t really thought about where dungeon materials went, but it makes sense that distribution is divided like that. Good to know.
As I finished my drink, there was a sudden knock on the hut door.
I had already sensed someone approaching with【Presence Detection】, but since there was nothing suspicious, it was probably a villager.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man, likely the village chief, peeked inside.
“Sorry about this. Best not go outside tonight. Heard howling earlier.”
“Howling?”
When I asked, he nodded.
“Monster howling. There’s been one hanging around nearby lately. A Night Wolf.”
“Have you put in a subjugation request?”
“Yeah, we plan to, but the fields have been busy lately…”
No, that’s definitely the wrong priority… but maybe there are things only locals understand.
Still, a Night Wolf. That’s supposed to be an E-rank monster. It’s nocturnal, so it’s relatively safe if you don’t go out at night, but with these wooden houses, it still seems dangerous.
“Is it just one?”
“Tracks tell it’s alone.”
“…Understood. In that case, I’ll take care of it. I’m an E-rank adventurer.”
I lifted my mace as I said that, and the village chief’s eyes widened slightly.
“So you are an adventurer. That’d be a big help. I’ll pay you the same as the guild request, can you handle it?”
“I accept. Leave it to me.”
Well, there it is, the event I expected. The real question is whether it’s truly just one Night Wolf… but I’ll be ready either way.
◇◆◇
Night had fully fallen. Still, under the moonlight, I could see well enough thanks to my enhanced【Vision】skill.
“Sorry to trouble you”, the village chief said before leaving, and silence settled over the area. It’s a kind of quiet you rarely experience in Japan.
I walked through the village toward where the tracks had been found. Though calling it a village might be generous, there were only five or six houses.
Before long, I was outside the village.
After walking a bit further, I heard a low “Wooo…” growl from not too far away.
My【Presence Detection】reacted, a monster was approaching rapidly. One entity.
I could hear something large rushing through the grass.
Looking in that direction, I saw a quadrupedal creature sprinting toward me like a gust of wind, a large dog-like monster with white fur.
White…? Night Wolves are supposed to be dark gray or so I read.
The moment it entered range, I swung my mace sideways in a counterattack. But it twisted unnaturally, as if ignoring physics, and slipped past the blow before backing off.
We faced each other under the moonlight.
Looking closer, it was definitely wolf-like. Its eyes glowed red, filled with something akin to madness.
“Don’t tell me this is another rare monster…”
It could just be an albino… but either way, I can’t afford to let my guard down.
The Night Wolf (?) lowered its stance, waiting for an opening.
I raised my buckler and held my mace close to my side. It’s faster than me, so my only option is a counter.
The Night Wolf moved. It zigzagged toward me at high speed, its movements seemingly defying physics. Probably a skill.
It feinted toward my front-left, hiding in the shadow of my buckler.
As I moved to swing, it suddenly leapt to the opposite side, my right.
A feint!
My body shifted for a split second. The Night Wolf didn’t miss it and lunged for my throat.
I managed to avoid a direct hit to my carotid artery, but it bit down hard on my right shoulder.
Thanks to【Steel Body】, it didn’t tear through my flesh, but its fangs pierced my skin, dealing significant damage.
As I tried to swing my mace, the Night Wolf jumped back, creating distance. So it’s planning to wear me down bit by bit.
I raised my buckler again. The pain in my shoulder was already fading, thanks to【Regeneration】… which means the Night Wolf probably doesn’t know I have that ability.
I let my right arm hang loosely and slowly retreated. A feint in return.
Seeing its chance, the Night Wolf charged again, this time straight on.
I lowered my buckler and waited. At the last moment, it accelerated explosively. So it was hiding a trump card.
I blocked its fangs with my buckler, but unbelievably, its bite shattered the upper half of the buckler instantly.
Pressing the advantage, it lunged for my neck.
That’s when my mace drove upward into its abdomen.
Gyan-buh!
It cried, coughing blood as it was blasted upward at an angle.
It landed, but its legs no longer moved. I immediately closed the distance and crushed its head with my mace.
“Phew… in close combat, strength really does decide everything.”
Hoisting the decapitated Night Wolf (?) corpse over my shoulder, I headed back toward the village.
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E/N:
I love these brain bursting moves! Keep it up, Ossan!
Stay tuned!
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