3 bar menu

Life of an Adventurer in a Harsh World – Part 09

Freya assumed that Hikaru got a Red-Horned Rabbit out of pure luck. Hikaru didn’t really mind, so he didn’t deny it.

An expert would assess the value of the Red-Horned Rabbit, not Freya. She rang a bell, and an old man emerged from a room inside.

His hair was long and gray all over, with a bun on top. The rest he left hanging. His mustache met with his beard, making his head look like a lump of gray hair.

About a hundred fifty centimeters tall, he was half a head shorter than Hikaru.

“A gnome? ”Hikaru muttered.

“Sir Unken is from a race called Man Gnomes,” Freya whispered. “Don’t bring it up, or he’ll get mad.”

“What do you want, Freya? I’m busy! We have visitors from the royal capital coming soon.”

“R-Right. But you said you wanted to assess Red-Horned Rabbits yourself.”

“Hmm?” Unken’s gaze rested on Hikaru for the first time. “Oh.”

He carefully examined Hikaru from head to toe, then turned around and headed to the back. He wanted him to follow.

Parting ways with Freya, Hikaru went down the corridor and found himself outside. There was an outhouse before him, where animals were butchered.

It looked like a huge garage. While only made of wood, well-constructed beams secured the enormous structure. Chains with hooks dangled down from the naked beams, where large monsters were hung to be chopped.

“Take it out,” Unken said.

Hikaru placed the Red-Horned Rabbit on the stone table.

“Hmm…”

While Unken was inspecting the animal, Hikaru summoned the man’s Soul Board. He was curious about the way he carried himself so warily earlier. And his hunch was right.

【Soul Board】Unken F. Balzack
Age: 211 | Rank: 51 | 53

【Vitality】
【Natural Recovery】2
【Stamina】5
【Immunity】
【Magic Resistance】1
【Perception】
【Smell】1
【Taste】2

【Magical Power】
【Mana Capacity】6

【Strength】
【Muscle Strength】9
【Weapon Mastery】
【Short Sword】6
【Bow】3
【Projectile】4
【Armor】2

【Agility】
【Stealth】
【Life Cloaking】2
【Mana Cloaking】2
【Imperceptibility】2
【Group Cloaking】1

【Dexterity】
【Dexterity】3
【Tool Mastery】
【Medical Apparatus】2

【Willpower】
【Mental Strength】3

【Instinct】
【Instinct】4
【Detection】
【Life Detection】1

“What?” Hikaru blurted out.

“What do you mean “what”?”

“Uh, no, it’s nothing.”

“Did you do something just now? I felt some sort of sorcery being invoked.”

Unken eyed Hikaru suspiciously, then turned his attention back to the Red-Horned Rabbit.

That was close! Did he notice me studying his Soul Board? But anyway, this geezer’s unbelievable. And he has a Stealth-type Skill that I don’t. Group Cloaking, was it? Hmm? Hold on a sec. Something’s not right with his remaining points.

Hikaru carefully made some calculations.

Unken had allocated a total of 68 points to his stats. Add that to his remaining 53 points, you get a total of 121 points. His rank was astonishing, but his age of 211 was even more remarkable. If one gained 1 point per year, then his remaining points were way off.

It must be one-third, then. 211 divided by 3 is around 70. 70 plus his rank of 51 gives a total of 121. The figures add up. Some races in this world have shorter lifespans while some have longer. So the timing of gaining points is different for each of them.

It felt like the wrong things were being balanced.

So Group Cloaking… Unlocking it must require two points each on Life Cloaking, Mana Cloaking, and Imperceptibility. This guy has almost the same skillset as me. A Rogue type.

Hikaru wanted to know what people thought about Unken’s abilities. Unlike Hikaru who had put most of his points into one specific skillset, the old man only had a few points for each. But it looked like he had the necessary Skills for a Rogue-type character. Hikaru wanted to know how strong Unken was in this world’s standards.

“Lad.”

“Yes?”

“Is it fun staring at me like that?”

Hikaru gave a start.

Is this his 4 points on Instinct at work?

That probably explained his earlier remark about some sorcery being invoked.

Unlike Magic, Sorcery referred to the use of some kind of catalyst or tool to bring about supernatural phenomena. The spell for crossing worlds that Roland was researching fell under this classification.

“It’s just that I haven’t seen you in the guild before,” Hikaru said.

“Fair enough.”

“What do you usually do?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Judging from Freya’s behavior, the guildmaster perhaps?”

“I’m just an assessor.”

Hikaru had managed to change the subject; Unken didn’t question him further. The old man himself seemed to dislike being probed.

“Anyway, about the Red-Horned Rabbit… You’ve never butchered meat before, have you?” Unken asked.

“No.”

“The way you cut it is awful. What did you use?”

Hikaru took out his Dagger of Strength. Unken stared at it, then heaved a sigh.

“You fool. You don’t use a weapon for cutting meat. Use a proper tool for it. You cut the flesh when you removed its internal organs. Look here. Blood seeping into the meat ruins its flavor.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“The way you cut open its belly is also horrible. It will be worth more if you could bring it whole instead, provided you can make it back in town in two to three hours.” Unken glanced at Hikaru. “Then again, with those muscles of yours, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Yeah. Just one was already quite heavy.”

“Hmm? You make it sound like you could catch as many as you want if you could carry them.”

Hikaru shrugged.

“Youngsters tend to be overconfident. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be proud of your catch, but you must never forget to be humble.”

“I understand.”

Unken gave him a dubious look. “I’d tell you to form a party with others, but then you won’t be able to capitalize on your strength. You look skilled in moving unnoticed.”

“…I am.”

“I must say, it’s quite strange. Red-Horned Rabbits have exceedingly keen senses. You’re wearing Night Wolf gear, correct? Yet it should’ve still noticed you.”

“The rabbit ran and tripped over a stump.”

“What?”

“That’s how I was able to kill it.”

Hikaru gave an ambiguous answer. A lie. He didn’t think this world had the story about a rabbit that tripped over a tree stump and died.

“Hmm. So you’re saying you just got lucky?”

“Yes. Even if it wasn’t, I don’t think it’s okay to probe into an adventurer’s special skills. But I suppose the guildmaster would want to know, huh?”

“Are you trying to bait me?”

Damn, he got me. That’s a 211-year-old geezer for you.

“So, about the rabbit,” Unken went on. “There’s a cut on its right hind leg so its value as meat is lower. A shame. It’s the most delicious part too. We can buy the meat for 7,000 gilans.”

“Deal.”

“Oh, you’re not complaining?”

“I did a poor job cutting the meat, after all.”

“I usually expect some grumbling.”

“That’s a complete waste of time. And time is something money can’t buy.”

“Why are you in such a rush?”

“I probably won’t be if I could live for 200 years like a Man Gnome.”

Unken glowered at him. He went a little bit too far.

“For a rabbit that tripped, its body is spotless. Don’t you want to know the price of its hide?” the old man asked.

Unken knew he was lying, and he was trying to get even.

“They don’t fetch for much, do they?”

“I suppose not. Around 500 gilans. I’ll add it to the overall price.”

“Okay. And?”

“And what?”

“The price of the horn.”

For the first time, Unken smiled. Though it was more like the corner of his mouth turned up just a little bit.

“So you know about that.”

“I read about it in the library. Red-Horned Rabbits with unbroken horns are rare and their horns have medicinal effects.”

“I thought you were simply a despicable kid, but I guess not. You actually do your homework. I thought you don’t want to waste time.”

“I like studying. I think calling a studious kid arrogant is equivalent to spitting on the benefits derived from the advancement of civilization.”

“Spoken like an arrogant kid. Hahaha!” Unken burst out laughing. “If you don’t mind, I can teach you how to cut meat properly in my free time. Come tomorrow evening.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“All right. Bye.” Unken raised a hand and turned to leave.

“Wait, hold on a sec! You haven’t assessed the horn yet.”

“And here I thought I managed to trick you.”

Damned geezer, Hikaru thought, his cheek twitching.

Unken looked at the horn, groaning. “A horn as fine as this is rare. There’s actually no market value for it. I would have to contact the Alchemists’ Guild and the Doctors’ Guild first. You’ll know tomorrow evening. I’ll give the overall payment, then.”

“All right. Man, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to play me.”

“Says the kid who lied by bringing up an old story of a rabbit that tripped on a tree stump.”

---

Hikaru was shocked that Unken knew about the story of the rabbit. It wasn’t as if he knew the exact details, but he was familiar with it. He asked the old man about it, and he said he heard it from his elders back in his hometown. He was only a child back then, too.

There’s a chance that someone was reincarnated to this world just like me.

It was a surprising revelation, yet there was always that possibility.

Hikaru was brought here by Roland’s genius. He used a world-crossing spell, one he developed by studying other people’s research. In other words, this research had been done ages ago.

I guess there’s really no need to find others like me, though.

Hikaru doubted they could use the Soul Board like him. After all, he only obtained the ability through chance after receiving a pouch that contained light right before he was judged.

“Now, then… What to do?”

He didn’t feel like going out of town again today. Eating his sandwich at a rest area by the main street, Hikaru pondered his next move.

Besides him, there were housewives, who were in the middle of shopping, talking to each other, an errand boy taking a nap, among others.

“I want to know more about this world. Roland’s knowledge is limited to things related to the nobility. But before that…”

He stuffed the last piece of his sandwich into his mouth and stood up.

“Let’s find a different place to stay.”

Hikaru longed for an actual mattress.