Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Oh, Happy Day!
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***
After about two hours of hobbling along with the staff as support.
The unkempt forest path was full of rocks and tree roots, so I couldn't relax for even a moment. Tripping over one of those would mean breaking another arm or leg, and then I'd have no choice but to crawl.
My body already needed careful handling, and with the injuries on top, even a short distance drained my stamina.
"No matter how I think about it, Real Mode goes beyond the realm of games...."
Wasn't the essence of a game supposed to be fun? I was sweltering, cold sweat pouring out, my condition at its worst, headache and irritation worsening to the point I couldn't think of anything else, and there wasn't a single part of this situation that matched the word 'fun.'
"Damn, this brings back old memories!"
Seven years ago, right after World War III broke out, my first march with my dad after being drafted was exactly like this.
When I reached the end of the forest, I sat on a tree stump for a short rest and decided to sort out my status window.
"Name.... My name is..... Just go with Professor."
Ding-!
[Information Updated / Name: Professor / Surname: Unknown]
As soon as I voiced my name, the ??? in the name field of the status window was replaced with "Professor."
"Let's see..... That split fan-shaped deciduous tree is a Defplan tree, right? Where in World 3 did these grow?"
- Speed Wagon: All of Lordric North / Parts of the upper Aplan Valley / Everything west of the Blue Line.
- Jokasss: Isn't that Wintergrass at your feet? Nothing like Wintergrass grows west of the Blue Line because of the ley lines.
- Soy Sauce Gaybar: Doesn't look like a plateau, so not the Aplan Valley.
"Okay, thanks. Starting location is Lordric North for now."
Ding-!
[Information Updated: Region / Lordric North /]
GG was an old game, eleven years old, and a solo play game. The world changed drastically with even small player actions, so no perfect guide existed,
But rough info like what's where, what events happen, had long been shared in the community.
As a World 2 player, I didn't have much World 3 info, but my viewers were different, right? It was like playing with dozens of semi-veterans.
First, I borrowed my viewers' power for approximate region info. For more, I'd need to get a map in town.
Next, I stood the staff vertically, calculated the direction of the sun and the shadow it cast.
"Hmm..... Roughly.... Around 5 PM?"
Ding-!
[Information Updated - Time: 5 PM (Estimated)]
"Oh, this works in World 3 too?"
It was a common method in World 2 to check time, and luckily it worked in World 3.
That solved time. A simple sundial like this couldn't give exact time. Unless I had Astronomy Lv. 3 or something.
"Hoo. I could see the walls a while ago, but why is it so hard to get there? Looks like I'm almost there.... Black eagle with shield emblem..... Among the cities in Lordric North, the one using that family crest..... Turan? Is it Turan?"
- Speed Wagon: Correct. Only Turan, Molludic Castle, Pellas nearby to begin with.
"Molludic.... What? Isn't this the world view 70 years after World 2? In my memory, Turan and Pellas were next to Gideon? Could cities disappear in 70 years?"
- Jokasss: Name could change. Gideon got crushed by Lordric III after some socialist movement or whatever and was demoted to royal territory. Molludic Castle is where Gideon used to be. Lord changed, name changed with the territory.
"Ah, that. I knew those guys were up to no good. Felt the red flags from World 2."
Crack, crunch!
[Status - Right Wrist: Sprain [Recovering (Contaminated Bandage + Splint (88%)]
Looking at the status window, my wrist had improved remarkably. Twisting it slightly, there was a bit of foreign sensation, but it was usable.
'Low max durability means less absolute recovery needed?'
Good for now. If a reed stick body that snapped at every turn took forever to heal, I'd spend more time in bed than active.
Whoosh-!
Throb!
"Argh! Damn, this is really gonna kill me!"
My body issues had adapted a bit after two hours of movement. Just move like wearing super expensive, thin clothes. Gaming revealed a worse problem than Glass Body in real time.
"Gangeya..... What bomb did you plant in me?"
- Soy Sauce Gaybar: Lmao, what else? SSS-grade trait that insta-deletes even a rank 2 character's month-long build in 30 minutes!
Professor swallowed his rage at the laughing chat like bitter medicine. Hold it, must hold. If not, it'd get worse....
Throb!
"Shit!"
The bomb was the trait Soy Sauce Gaybar added last: Mental Fragility.
[Mental Fragility]: The timid you is always distracted scanning surroundings. All sensations feel negative, fraying your nerves.
Sensitivity +1, Crisis Detection +1, Concentration -3
After two hours experiencing it, the skill description expanded. The added part matched what I felt..... Stats too?
'Just info update is one thing, but stat notation means..... I'm under the trait's effect. Fine, Mental Fragility means more thinking lowers concentration, but Sensitivity? Crisis Detection? Why these?'
GG's status window only showed what I knew or experienced. Conversely, what's shown is something I've experienced or known somehow. Both Sensitivity and Crisis Detection popped up?
Chill-!
My spine iced. The stabbing headache wasn't just pain anymore; it was like a spike gouging from a specific direction.....
'Behind!'
Rustle!
Crunch!
Crisis sense pierced my mind; my legs moved first. I threw myself forward on the bad leg, and simultaneously, the stump I'd sat on shattered from something.
Turning, a rock my height had fallen where I'd been.
Thud! Thud!
Followed by heavy footsteps.
"Person.... Small person.... Small? Big? No, big is Notum. Small is person. Uh.... Small big person?"
Over 3 meters tall, slurred speech. The rock's owner that nearly flattened me was a Plain Troll.
'Damn, even with good legs, not sure if I could escape....'
Plain Trolls were slimmer than other troll species thick with flesh and muscle. Less strength, but twice the jumping speed. In my state, no escape.
- Highway Nacho Man: Brutal from the start.
- Soy Sauce Gaybar: That's Gedroits's game design.
Come to think, my memory of Lordric North was mostly plains, frequent large battles. A forest there, even small.....
'Quest area! Damn! Dropped right in a hunting quest zone at start!'
Probably near city, so guard quest like [Hunt the Troll Blocking the Road]?
"Ugh! Damn, not a water balloon, but why does blood leak everywhere it touches...."
Clothes soaked; more blood. Probably injured tumbling forward dodging.
"Grrr.... Grrk.....! Sniff! Grooo.... Notum.... Can't hold...."
Drip, drip.
"Ah, seriously. Gonna lose it."
Troll smelled blood, eyes bloodshot, drooling heavily.
'No way out. Done!'
Professor squeezed eyes shut, expecting the end.
***
.
.
.
.
.
'.....What?'
No awaited agony came; Professor cautiously opened eyes.
"Hng hng hng! Krhng!"
"Waaah!"
When did it approach? Its huge face loomed, nose twitching before me. Unbelievably quiet for that bulk.
"Krhuh, Notum. Hungry. So hungry. Super duper hungry."
'I can see that, you idiot!'
Bloodshot eyes. Nose constantly sniffing blood. Mouth drooling waterfalls.
Clearly, this Notum troll was extremely, ravenously hungry. Amazingly, despite the bleeding human right there, it hadn't touched me yet. Something's up. Something.... I still have a chance!
Whatever it was, probably tied to what it's saying.
Professor clung to faint hope.
"Hun.... Hungry?"
"Grooo. Hungry. Human. Late. One, two, three, four late."
'Confirmed. Can talk. High intelligence!'
Trolls were unique, monster but demi-human classified. Mostly instinct over reason, treated as monsters, but southern great forest had tribes with culture, trading with humans.
'Wait, not just smart, insanely smart for troll? Speaking human!'
Forgot in death panic, but trolls couldn't speak human. At best roars or gibberish.
Yet this one expressed clearly, starving bloodshot but holding back, even has name Notum. Means touched by humans, trained to converse.
"Uh uh... Grher, ca-can't hold. Human, small big human!"
"Uh... Huh?"
"Say it. You, sent by Iron Human?"
"Huh?"
"Say no. Notum, hungry. Can't hold. No? Right?"
Instinct at limit, Notum's hand neared. No time. Say anything to stop it. Near-death triggered survival instinct, brain whirling thoughts.
'Think.... Think! Trolls, appetite stronger than breeding urge. Notum holding killer hunger waiting for someone. Who? Iron Human. Calls me small big human, can't distinguish human faces. By build maybe. Iron Human. Armored human. Knight? Met knight? Survived knight? Probably one they raised. One, two, three, four late. Waited 4 days. Hungry but waited. Knew waiting means food.
Conclusion. Knights fed Notum periodically; supply cut 4 days ago, waited desperately for intruder in territory. Expecting food.
"W-Wait aaaa!!"
"Gro?"
"Iron, Iron Human! Iron Human sent meeeee!!"
To survive, match expectation. Pretend sent by that 'Iron Human'!
"U, grooo, uh eeee...."
Rancid stew-and-scalp-oil hand slowly withdrew. Sour stench receded, fresh air filled lungs; 'I'm alive!' flashed in mind.
'Said "say not Iron Human" meaning hopes unrelated to knight since can't hold back. Has cannibal habits. Not fully domesticated.'
Thud!
Notum conflicted briefly, then plopped down. Extremely displeased, unsatisfied face. But clear no eat intent.
Believing I'm from 'Iron Human,' seated Notum angrily said.
"Notum, promised. Here, live. No eat person. Iron Human come, give word, eat."
"Th-that..... so?"
Thud!
"Yes! Hoo! But! Notum belly, empty! Word one, two, three, four, no put in belly!"
As expected. Some deal with that 'Iron Human' knight, reason unknown.
Seemed part of decent-sized quest. I dropped smack in middle of quest area needing sequential progress. GG built complete world, player drops in. Means can get swept in events without quest. Exactly now. Shit.
Slap!
Finished speaking, Notum boldly extended hand.
"Word! Give! One, two, three, four, five!"
Staring at Notum's stew-dripping muscled forearm, I pondered. Okay, choose words carefully here. What to say to escape hungry troll expecting back pay?
***