Chapter 9

"Stay well, Taro. In Water City, there are plenty of jobs. You should be able to manage somehow."

"It's a prosperous place, so the king doesn't like it and calls it a money-grubbing country..."

After the training and leveling up were over, I was at the sandstream ship port in the capital, being seen off by Lieutenant Thunder and Baron Stein.

I was a failed 'Reformer,' and the only ones who came to see me off were these two because the king had abandoned me.

"I appreciate you taking the time to see me off."

"It's because you were a disciple I taught for a month."

"Lord Taro was suddenly summoned to this world and lost everything from his previous life. Moreover, the king treated him like that after summoning him. I just feel sorry for him, but I have a family to think about. As a noble, I can't let my family line die out. I have to endure and live in this country. I wish Lord Taro a fortunate life ahead."

Lieutenant Thunder and Baron Stein are such good people.

Even though I was suddenly summoned to this world and have been struggling, meeting these two might be my only salvation. If I ever have the means, I want to repay them.

"And this, though it's a small amount and I feel bad about it, is from Lieutenant Thunder and me."

"You didn't have to go to so much trouble. I have money."

To my surprise, they even gave me a parting gift.

The king didn't even do that, even though the fare alone would have been enough.

"I heard you have money from selling clothes, but it's best not to use it. You won't get any money from defeating sand beasts."

"You should find work in Water City as soon as possible and stabilize your life."

"Thank you for the advice."

Since coming to this world, I haven't met any beautiful women... but at my age, it's fine... Meeting Baron Stein and Lieutenant Thunder was truly fortunate.

"Still, the sandstream ship is almost the same as a boat that runs on water."

I thought the sandstream ship would be a strange kind of ship, but it wasn't much different from a sailing ship on water.

Maybe just a flat bottom... but there are flat-bottomed boats on water too...

What kind of power does it use?

"The power is magic."

"The auxiliary power is wind, since it's a sailing ship."

So it's a ship that runs on sand using magic and wind power.

"The fare is quite expensive, so the king must really want to get rid of you, Lord Taro."

"Did I do something to be so disliked?"

"Probably because you weren't the 'Reformer' he imagined. It's just his own misconception."

That kind of thing happens in any world.

Anyway, the most important thing now is to become independent in this world as soon as possible.

"It's time, Taro."

"I've been very well taken care of by Baron Stein and Lieutenant Thunder. I will never forget this kindness."

"Stay well, Lord Taro."

"You don't have to feel so grateful. I also leveled up three times from efficient hunting."

Three levels in a month.

Lieutenant Thunder must already be at a very high level.

"Goodbye—"

"Stay well—"

"Work hard in Water City too—!"

It was time for the sandstream ship to depart. As I boarded, the ship slowly moved away from the port.

I was leaving the capital where I had spent the past month, being seen off by Lieutenant Thunder and Baron Stein.

"Excuse me! Is there a hunter or anyone who can defeat sand beasts?"

"I've only defeated sand lizards..."

"Even that is fine, and it would be a great help. Please help us!"

The sandstream ship, which had left the capital, was heading steadily north towards the Central Sea.

The Central Sea is the only sea in the center of the Great Desert, and it is divided among three countries, including the Kingdom of Bart, and the city of Water City on the central island.

In the past, wars were fought over the ownership of this sea, but now, due to the sand beasts, it's not even a question of war, and ownership is determined by treaty.

Also, sand beasts appear in the Central Sea.

"Even though it's in the sea, they're called sand beasts?" But apparently, all the monsters in this world are called sand beasts.

Maybe it's just easier not to differentiate them.

The journey on the sandstream ship was cool thanks to the wind, and the vast desert, a rare sight, was enjoyable as a tourist attraction, making it a very comfortable trip. However, suddenly, a young crew member started shouting.

He had spotted a large number of sand beasts ahead.

So, they asked the combat-capable passengers to help defeat the sand beasts.

This is like when a flight attendant on a plane asks, "Is there a doctor on board?" in an emergency.

I've never been in such a situation before.

"I'm sorry, I've only defeated sand lizards."

Moving to the front of the ship's deck, I found about ten people who looked like hunters armed and ready.

I joined them with my partial armor made from sand lizard leather and a spear.

Everyone, including me, was in light leather armor because, in the Great Desert, wearing regular metal armor would either sink into the sand, cause burns, or lead to heatstroke, so leather armor was the norm.

"It's fine if you've defeated sand beasts before. There's a swarm of sandworms on our course, and we need you to eliminate them."

Can a sand lizard stop a ship moving at a decent speed using magic and wind?

I had my doubts, but the sandworms we were about to fight were apparently giant snake-like sand creatures.

According to a middle-aged male hunter who looked like a veteran, sandworms are about five meters long and fifty centimeters in diameter.

Most of the front part is made up of a mouth, which is lined with sharp teeth.

"That mouth and those teeth can eat anything. The ship is made of wood, so it's easy to gnaw on. If the damage reaches its limit, the ship will sink."

The ship won't sink in the sand, but if we're stranded in the middle of the desert, we'll all die of dehydration.

We have to drive away the swarm of sandworms at all costs.

"The weak point is the brain at the front, which is also in the back of the mouth. Attacking the tail or the body won't kill them. As long as the head is intact, they can regenerate even if they're reduced to a tenth of their size. They have a very strong reproductive ability, but that's not relevant now."

We have to attack the heads of the sandworms coming from the front and kill them reliably.

If we fail, the ship will be gnawed on, and if it stops moving, we'll be stranded and die.

I thought it would be a safe journey...

"Attack in order! Focus on the front part!"

Before I knew it, the middle-aged male hunter had become a leader, and we lined up on the front deck of the ship at his command.

"Here they come!"

Several sandworms immediately leaped out of the sand and attacked us.

"Can I defeat sand beasts other than sand lizards?"

I was full of anxiety, but the training and leveling up I did for a month weren't for nothing.

Despite their length and thickness, I could see the movements of the sandworms attacking us on the deck, and I managed to strike the back of their mouths with my spear.

It seemed the brain was the weak point, as the sandworm disappeared.

"Here comes another one!"

"Does he not care about me?"

I thought the middle-aged male hunter would be concerned when I defeated a sandworm and it disappeared, but he just ordered me to keep fighting.

"Arm—!"

"That one! It doesn't have a head!"

It wasn't just about me.

It seemed sandworms were much stronger sand beasts than sand lizards.

Moreover, they came in large numbers, leaping out of the sand one after another.

Some were screaming in pain, having their arms bitten off, and others died from having their heads gnawed off.

The middle-aged male hunter was busy dealing with the aftermath of these two casualties.

People are dying right in front of me.

With their heads bitten off, blood was gushing out like a fountain, staining the front deck, but I wasn't shaken by the sight.

If I failed to kill even one of the sandworms attacking us one after another, I would be bitten and severely injured or die, so I couldn't afford to be shaken.

Everyone else must have felt the same way... Those who couldn't control their shock were eaten by the sandworms.

"Mistakes are not allowed..."

I steadily increased the number of kills, but the others couldn't keep up.

They were attacked at the slightest opportunity and were injured or killed one after another.

"Leader, is there anyone who can use healing magic?"

"Unfortunately, no."

There is magic in this world, but apparently, I can't use it yet.

I had hoped as a 'Reformer,' but if I can't, there's nothing I can do.

I asked the middle-aged male hunter if there was a healer on the ship, but unfortunately, there wasn't.

So, hunters who had their limbs bitten off had to be moved to the back.

The number of hunters fighting gradually decreased.

With more deaths, even inexperienced crew members and male passengers who had never defeated sand beasts were being deployed.

However, their combat ability was low.

They couldn't even slow down the sandworms and were injured and killed one after another.

I couldn't help them because I couldn't leave the front deck.

I had become the main one stopping the sandworms jumping from the front.

"Sorry, I'm going to the back. Sandworms are also jumping in from the rear."

Due to a lack of crew or severe damage to the ship, the sandstream ship's speed had slowed, and sandworms were now jumping in from the rear.

They seemed to be attacking the passengers there one after another.

I could hear the screams of women and children.

The middle-aged male hunter suggested that I take over the rear.

"Yes, you or I have to do it."

"Sorry. In this situation, I'm grateful you're here. But how long can we hold out..."

Unfortunately, we still haven't escaped the area with a large number of sandworms.

The ship's speed had also slowed, and sandworms were jumping in one after another, moving around on the deck and attacking people.

Unfortunately, this ship is doomed.

If this were a sailing ship, we could escape in lifeboats, but unfortunately, sandstream ships don't have such things.

It's impossible for a sandstream ship to sink, and even if we escaped, we would just be eaten by sandworms.

Just then...

"The captain and some crew members are escaping!"

To our surprise, the captain and some crew members were seen escaping in a small sandstream ship.

Where did they hide such a small sandstream ship?

Is it okay for the captain to escape first?

But this isn't the time to think about that.

I fought the fatigue and kept killing sandworms one after another.

I had no idea how many I had killed.

The deck was already covered in blood... No, the sand beasts I defeated disappeared, so this was the blood of the people killed on the deck.

The only ones still able to fight were me and the middle-aged male hunter.

He was fighting at the rear, but he would eventually run out of strength.

And that will be my future too.

"This spear is no good anymore."

The spear I was using had become useless from overuse.

I quickly discarded it and borrowed a spear from a young hunter who had died nearby.

There was a sword, but I hadn't trained with it, so it was better not to use it.

"There's no end to this! Or are they not coming anymore?"

For some reason, sandworms stopped attacking the front deck where I was.

Maybe we're finally leaving the area with a large number of sandworms?

"We need to regroup..."

First, I quickly checked my palm level, which had risen to 126 from fighting sandworms.

Below the level, it was written in Japanese:

"Interdimensional Storage? Ah!"

When I said the skill that appeared on my palm, the usage method came to mind.

The 'Interdimensional Storage' is, as the name suggests, a place to store things in another dimension.

The storage capacity increases with the level, and at my current level, it can hold the equivalent of a large warehouse.

Items stored in it don't deteriorate over time, so food can be stored indefinitely.

However, living things, except for plants and seeds, cannot be stored.

"Very RPG-like and convenient... But I don't really need it now!"

I would have preferred a combat skill or healing magic.

But there's no time to complain.

"Namiamudabutsu, I'm sorry."

I hesitated to take things from the dead, but there was no time for that.

I took healing potions, antidotes, and wallets from the hunters I had fought with and died, and immediately stored them in the 'Interdimensional Storage.'

Indeed, any item I stored disappeared into the void.

"I'm sorry to everyone else."

While collecting useful items and storing them in the 'Interdimensional Storage,' I headed to the rear of the ship.

There were only dead bodies, but the middle-aged male hunter should be fighting there.

I had to help him and prevent him from dying...

I'm being selfish, but it's also a matter of my survival rate.

He must be thinking the same thing.

"Are you okay? This is terrible..."

I hurried to the rear deck, where I found the middle-aged male hunter lying in a pool of blood, on the verge of death.

His side had been bitten off, and he was barely breathing, unsure if he could be saved.

There were only dead bodies in the rear, and it seemed we had finally left the area with a large number of sandworms.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's you... I'm in this state..."

"I'll use a healing potion right away."

"Don't bother. It's too late. You should use it... if you need it..."

"That's... terrible..."

"Everyone except the captain and some crew members who escaped first is probably dead... You should escape from this ship..."

Indeed, the ship is severely damaged and can't move.

It's barely moving now, but it could stop at any moment.

Even if it could move, I can't do anything alone.

"Whether you can escape from this ship and survive..."

But I don't recommend staying on this ship.

There are dead bodies from sandworms and humans, which will attract sand beasts.

Even though we've left the area, it's still close to the area with a large number of sandworms.

If you stay here, you'll be eaten and die.

"You should escape..."

"Leader!"

Unfortunately, the middle-aged male adventurer had passed away.

I would have liked to bury him, but I had to escape from this ship as soon as possible.

However, the desert...

"Damn it! Before that!"

To move through the desert, I would need water and food.

I ran to the ship's hold and collected food and barrels of water, storing them in the 'Interdimensional Storage.'

I also collected useful items, and unfortunately, money and precious metals left in the captain's quarters, as well as spare underwear and clothes.

"Collect everything that's useful."

As I threw items into the 'Interdimensional Storage' one after another, I found something very useful.

A small sandstream ship of the same model as the one the captain used to escape was fixed to the opposite side of the ship.

"Can I do this? I've never operated a ship before..."

If I could move it, my chances of survival would increase.

I frantically removed the wooden frame and ropes securing the small sandstream ship, boarded it, and tried to operate it.

"We have to get away from here."

It was completely trial and error, but did my prayers reach the gods?

No, it's probably because the ship runs on magic.

It started moving, and I successfully escaped from the sandstream ship.

Immediately after, a large number of sandworms leaped out of the sand and started devouring the dead bodies of their comrades and humans on the deck.

They then started gnawing on the wood, creating holes.

If I had stayed there, I would have been eaten by the sandworms.

"Only I survived, except for the captain and crew who escaped..."

It was supposed to be a trip to Water City, but I ended up stranded due to an unexpected accident.

I had to move this small ship alone, avoid sand beast attacks, and reach a town where people live.

Will I survive?

My time of trial had arrived.