Chapter 7

Chapter 1 Oh, Happy Day! (7)

***

For about two hours, I limped along, leaning on my cane.

The poorly maintained forest path, with its many stones and tree roots, required constant vigilance. If I tripped and fell, I might break another arm or leg, and from then on, I’d have no choice but to crawl.

My body already needed to move slowly, and with the added injury, even short distances drained my stamina.

“No matter how I think about it, Real Mode has gone beyond the scope of a game...”

Wasn’t the essence of a game supposed to be enjoyment? I was so hot I could die, and my body was in such a state that cold sweat was pouring down. My headache and irritability were getting worse, making it hard to think of anything else, and I couldn’t find any part of this situation that matched the word 'enjoyment.'

“Damn, this reminds me of the old days!”

Seven years ago. Right after the outbreak of World War III, when I was conscripted with my father, our first march was exactly like this.

After reaching the end of the forest, I decided to sit on a tree stump for a moment to tidy up my status screen.

"Name... My name is... let's just go with Professor."

Ding!

[Information Update / Name: Professor / Surname: Unknown]

As soon as I revealed my name, the part of the status screen that had been marked with ??? changed to 'Professor.'

"Let's see... The fan-shaped deciduous tree is definitely a Deflan tree, right? Where did this tree grow in World 3?"

- Speed Wagon: Rodric North, part of the upper Aflan Valley, all of the western Blue Line.

- Jokass: Isn't that Wintergrass at your feet? The western Blue Line can't grow Wintergrass due to the dragon veins.

- Soy Sauce Guy: It's not a plateau, so it's not the Aflan Valley.

"Okay, thanks. Starting point is Rodric North."

Ding!

[Information Update: Location / Rodric North /]

GG is an old game, 11 years old, and a solo-play game. The world changes drastically with even small player actions, so no perfect strategy has been created. However, the general knowledge of where to go and what events happen has been shared in the community for a long time.

I'm a World 2 player, so I don't have much information about World 3, but our viewers do. It's like playing with dozens of semi-veterans.

First, I borrowed the viewers' knowledge to get a rough idea of the area. For more detailed information, I'll need to get a map in town.

Next, I stood the cane I was using to walk vertically and calculated the direction of the sun and the shadow of the stick.

“Hmm... It's about... 5 PM, I guess?”

Ding!

[Information Update - Time: 5 PM (estimated)]

"Oh, this works in World 3 too?"

This is a method I often used to check the time in World 2, and fortunately, it works in World 3 as well.

This solves the time issue. With this simple sundial, I can't get the exact time. Maybe if I had Astronomy Lv.3, it would be different.

“Phew. I've been seeing the city walls for a while, but why is it so hard to get there? It seems like I'm almost there... Black eagle with a shield... Among the cities in northern Rodric, the one with that coat of arms... Turan? Is it Turan?”

- Speed Wagon: Correct. In the nearby area, there are only Turan, Molludic Castle, and Pellas.

“Molludic... What? Isn't this a world setting 70 years after World 2? According to my memory, Turan and Pellas were cities next to Gideon. Could a city disappear in 70 years?”

- Jokass: The name could change. Gideon was suppressed by Rodric III after a socialist movement and demoted to a kingdom. The original location of Gideon is now Molludic Castle. The lord and the name changed when it became a kingdom.

“Oh, that. I knew those guys would do something like that. They had a red flavor even in World 2.”

Snap, squish!

[Status - Right Wrist: Sprain [Recovering (Contaminated Bandage + Splint 88%)]

Looking at the status screen, I was surprised to see how much my wrist had improved. I tried to move it slightly, and while there was a bit of discomfort, it was manageable.

‘Is it because the maximum durability is low, so the absolute amount that needs to be recovered is also low?’

At least it’s a relief. If my body, which breaks easily, took a long time to recover, I would have spent more time in bed than active.

Whoosh!

Throb!

“Ouch! Oh, this is really going to be a problem!”

After moving for about two hours, my body had adapted somewhat. I had to move as if I were wearing incredibly expensive and thin clothes. Playing the game, I could feel in real-time that there was a more serious problem than a fragile body.

“Soy Sauce Guy... What kind of bomb did you plant in me?”

- Soy Sauce Guy: Hahaha, what do you mean? It's an SSS-grade trait that can erase a character in 30 minutes, even one that a second-place player spent a month raising!

Professor swallowed his anger at the laughing guy in the chat. He had to hold it in; if he didn’t, it would get worse...

Throb!

“Damn!”

The bomb was the last trait added by Soy Sauce Guy: Mental Weakness.

[Mental Weakness]: You are always on edge, constantly checking your surroundings. All your senses are perceived negatively, making you feel anxious and unsure of what to do.

Sensitivity +1, Danger Sense +1, Concentration -3

After experiencing it for about two hours, the skill description had expanded. The additional explanation matches what I’m feeling now... and there are stats attached?

'If it was just an information update, it wouldn’t matter, but the fact that the skill description is precise enough to show stats... means I’m actually affected by this trait. Well, with Mental Weakness, the more I think, the more my concentration drops, but why are Sensitivity and Danger Sense showing up?'

The status screen in GG only shows facts I know or have experienced. In other words, anything shown on the status screen is something I have experienced or know. But Sensitivity and Danger Sense appeared simultaneously?

Shiver!

A chill ran down my spine. The headache piercing my head now felt like a spike was digging into my brain from a specific direction...

‘Behind!’

Crack!

Crunch!

The sudden sense of danger in my head made my legs move before I could think. As I threw my body forward with my injured leg, the tree stump I had been sitting on was shattered by something.

Turning my head, I saw a rock as tall as me had fallen where I had been sitting.

Thud! Thud!

And the heavy footsteps that followed.

“Human... small human... small? Big? No, big is Nodum. Small is human. Ah... small big human?”

The owner of the rock that almost crushed me was a Plains Troll, standing over three meters tall with a clumsy speech pattern.

‘Damn, even if my legs were fine, I’m not sure I could escape...’

Plains Trolls are thinner compared to other trolls, which are covered in muscle. They have less strength but run much faster. In my current state, there’s no way I can escape.

- Highweina Chomeman: It’s clear from the start.

- Soy Sauce Guy: This is Gedroyt’s playstyle.

Thinking about it, my memory of northern Rodric was mostly plains where large-scale battles often occurred. If there was a small forest in such a place...

‘Quest area! Damn! To fall into a hunting quest area right at the start!’

It’s probably a guard quest area near the city, something like “Catch the troll obstructing passage.”

“Ugh! Damn, what kind of blood is this? It’s gushing out everywhere...”

Looking at my wet clothes, I saw they were soaked with blood. I must have been injured when I fell forward to avoid the rock.

“Grrr... Grr...! Sniff! Grr... Nodum... can’t stand it...”

Thud, thud,

"Ah, really. I’m going to lose it."

The troll’s eyes turned bloodshot, and he was drooling, clearly excited by the smell of blood.

‘There’s no way out. It’s over!’

Professor closed his eyes tightly, expecting the worst.

***

.

.

.

.

.

‘...What?’

When the expected terrible pain didn’t come, Professor cautiously opened his eyes.

“Sniff, sniff! Snort”

“Aaaah!”

The troll’s large face was right in front of me, sniffing. His movements were surprisingly quiet for such a massive creature.

“Snort, Nodum. I’m hungry. So hungry. Very, very hungry.”

‘You don’t have to say that, I can see it, damn it!’

Bloodshot eyes, a nose constantly sniffing the air for the smell of blood, and a mouth drooling like a waterfall.

At a glance, this Nodum was extremely, extremely hungry. The surprising thing was that despite being in this state, with a bleeding and injured human right in front of him, he hadn’t touched me yet. There must be something. Something... that gives me a chance to survive!

Whatever it is, it must be related to what this troll is saying.

Professor decided to cling to this slim hope.

“Hun... hungry?”

“Snort. Hungry. Human. Too late. One, two, three, four, too late.”

‘It’s clear. We can communicate. This guy has a higher intelligence than most!’

Trolls are a unique species, classified as a sentient race but often treated as monsters because their instincts usually override their reason. However, there are tribes near the Southern Great Forest that have their own culture and trade with humans.

‘Wait, thinking about it, he’s not just smart, he’s incredibly smart for a troll? He can speak human language!’

I had forgotten in the heat of the moment, but trolls can’t normally speak human language. At best, they can make grunting sounds or a few incomprehensible words.

But this guy could clearly express his intentions, was holding back despite being so hungry, and even has a name, Nodum. This means he has been in contact with humans and has received some level of education.

“Ah... Snort, can’t... stand it. Human, small big human!”

“Wh... what?”

“Tell me. Are you sent by the Iron Human?”

“Huh?”

“Say no. Nodum, I’m hungry. Can’t stand it. No? Is it no?”

His instincts were reaching their limit, and Nodum’s hand was slowly moving towards me. I had no time. I needed to say something to stop him. The survival instinct kicked in, and my thoughts started to race.

‘Think... think! For trolls, hunger is stronger than the urge to reproduce. Nodum was waiting, enduring his hunger, for someone. Who? Iron Human. He called me a small big human, so he can’t distinguish faces, only appearances. Iron Human. A human in armor. A knight? Did he meet a knight and survive? He must be a domesticated troll, raised by the knights. One, two, three, four, too late. This means he waited for four days. He was hungry but waited, so he knew waiting would get him food.

Conclusion. The knights regularly provided food for Nodum, and four days ago, the supply was cut off. Nodum has been eagerly waiting for someone to enter his territory, expecting food.

“Now, wait!!!”

“Snort?”

“Iron, Iron Human! Sent by the Iron Human!!!”

If I want to survive, I need to do one thing: meet Nodum’s expectations. Pretend to be someone sent by the ‘Iron Human’!

“Snort, snort, ugh...”

The large, greasy hand slowly retreated. The foul smell faded, and fresh air filled my lungs. The thought ‘I’m alive!’ naturally came to mind.

‘When he said “say no,” he meant he couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted someone not related to the knights. He hasn’t completely lost his human habits. He’s not fully domesticated.’

Thud!

Nodum seemed to be in conflict for a moment, then he slumped to the ground. His expression was extremely displeased and unsatisfied. But this was a clear sign that he had no intention of eating me.

He must have fully believed I was sent by the ‘Iron Human.’ Sitting on the ground, Nodum said angrily:

“Nodum, promised. Live here. Don’t eat humans. When Iron Human comes, give horse, eat.”

“Wh... what...?”

Thud!

“Promised! Snort! But! Nodum’s stomach, empty! Horse one, two, three, four, couldn’t put in stomach!”

Indeed. For some reason, there was a deal with the ‘Iron Human’ knights.

This seemed to be a part of a larger quest. I had been dropped right in the middle of a quest area, and GG doesn’t build the world around the player; it drops the player into an already existing world. This means I could be caught up in events whether I take a quest or not. This is exactly what’s happening to me now. Damn.

Chomp!

After speaking, Nodum confidently extended his hand towards me.

“Horse! Give! One, two, three, four, five!”

Looking at Nodum’s muscular arm, dripping with grease and oil, I fell into thought. Now, I need to say something right. What can I say to survive in front of this hungry troll, who is expecting a meal?

***