How to Live as a Genius Scholar in another World

Chapter 18 –  Ruin Guard Request (5)

—–CROW—– 

“So, are all the boring stories over?”

Est, who had been leaning against a stone tablet since the middle of the conversation, spoke up.  She kicked the ground as she stood up.

“Alright, let’s get to work. We need to clean this up.”

‘This’ was a demonstrative pronoun referring to the goblins’ corpses. Ah, damn it. I had completely forgotten while I was distracted.

“Let’s harvest the valuable parts and throw the bodies outside. We’re not going to leave the bodies inside the cave, are we? It’ll stink, and it’ll attract bugs and monsters.”

“Eeeeek… Smell… Sewers… Bugs… I hate them…”

Francesca’s PTSD was triggered by the unsanitary keywords. My trauma switch also flipped.

Ah! They’re coming! They’re coming in swarms! Crawling on the walls!

That rustling sound! The foul-smelling sewers!  The obscene compound eyes and the morbid legs with their shiny exoskeletons! Eeeeek! Almighty Akarat, protect me with your eternal light!

“Ah, but let’s let that guy rest, for conscience’s sake.”

Est said, pointing at me, who was freaking out internally.

“Honestly, we wouldn’t have gotten out of this unscathed if it weren’t for him. I just kinda tagged along during the fight, so we should take care of the aftermath ourselves.”

“That’s a very commendable attitude!”

I welcomed the unexpected suggestion with open arms!

It was a wonderful idea.  I hadn’t even considered resting, even though I had carried the team.  This was all because of my ingrained slave mentality.

“It’s a shame we have fewer hands, but it can’t be helped.”

“P-please rest… We’ll clean up…”

I felt a sense of camaraderie with Francesca, who was suffering from PTSD.  But I immediately lay down on the mat.  The trick to life was to take advantage of opportunities to relax.

But this damn other world still didn’t seem to like me, a foreign substance.

—Plip. Plop.

As I lay down on the mat…

A few drops of water fell on my face.

Plip, plop.  Drip, drop!

Whoooooosh—!

Water poured from the hole in the ceiling!  I was dumbfounded by the sudden downpour.

“…Oh shit, we’re screwed.”

The damn downpour, disgusting both on Earth and in this other world.

It was a shower.

***

One of the most surprising things I experienced after coming to this world was that nature was a fucking dangerous place.

All that talk about the vitality of nature was bullshit.

The difference in temperature between day and night was perfect for killing someone.  Thinking about having pajeon and makgeolli on a rainy day was such a privileged thought!

Not freezing to death even when caught in the rain naked was a luxury afforded only after humanity built civilization.

Whoooooosh—

“It’s raining.”

Francesca said, hugging her knees. Est stared at the falling raindrops while chewing on jerky.

“Of all things, I’m experiencing rain inside a cave.  This makes me want to quit being an adventurer.”

“It’s better than camping in the rain.  It’s fortunate that the rainwater isn’t flowing this way.”

I said.  The rain falling from the ceiling flowed out through the cave entrance thanks to the difference in elevation. Paragon coughed, looking at us.

“Don’t hate the rain so much. Rain has always been considered a blessing from the heavens.  There was a drought a decade or so ago, and people died from dehydration.  This is all part of the experience.”

“I’ll put you under that blessed hole while you’re sleeping, so you can experience it fully.”

“Sometimes, excessive blessings can be burdensome.”

The rain started pouring while we were cleaning up the bodies.  To be precise, *they* were cleaning up, and I was indirectly affected by the sudden downpour.

“The firewood… won’t dry, will it?”

Francesca said with a frown, looking at the soaked firewood.  We had hurriedly split into teams—I helped too—and gathered firewood, but the rain-soaked wood showed no signs of igniting.

“It’s a good thing we have lanterns.”

“Those idiots didn’t bring any.”

“I apologize.”

“I didn’t even think of it.”

We huddled around Est and Francesca’s lanterns in pairs to keep warm. They were cheap lanterns with candles inside thin leather casings.  The fire hazard was incredibly high, and the light was weak.

“Thank you for lending me the lantern.  It’s warm.”

“I guess I’ve repaid a bit of my life debt with the lantern.”

Francesca said, sounding a little happy. I chuckled.

“We should thank the goblins for this.”

Thanks to this and the blanket, we didn’t freeze to death. Although it wasn’t as warm as a hot pack, it felt quite toasty when I put my palms on it.

The downside was that Paragon was doing the same on the other side, which made me uncomfortable.  I didn’t want to be close to another guy.

“Paragon, can’t you use *fireball*?”

“I can.”

“I knew you could say that.”

“Why ask if you already knew?”

Because I’m cold, you idiot.

It was still autumn, but the temperature had plummeted.  I didn’t care about the rain pouring into the ruin.  It wasn’t deadly, but it was draining my stamina.

Then Est, wrapped in a blanket like me, snapped her fingers as if she had a brilliant idea.

“That’s it!  How about we hug each other? We have two men and two women! We can just pair up with the same gender!”

“The part about two men and two women sounded quite hopeful.”

“I’m not interested in cuddling with a chattering monk. Ah, but you two can go ahead.”

“So? What do you say?”

“I’m in.”

Est asked Francesca.  Francesca, who had her hood up to prevent even the slightest loss of warmth, answered readily.

“Alright. Then I’ll just warm up a bit.”

Est, picking up her short spear, went to a spot where the rain didn’t reach and started swinging her spear. She intended to raise her body temperature by moving around.

“Hmm. I can do that too.”

Paragon, who had been blowing on his hands, also stood up with his staff.

“Wouldn’t you like to join us? As a priest of the Goddess of Abundance, I predict this rain will continue for a while.”

“I wish you had told me that before it started raining.”

“I apologize. I only know healing magic. I wouldn’t be an adventurer if I had other abilities.”

“That’s tragic.”

Healing magic was the specialty of the priests of the Goddess of Abundance. But priests of other gods could also use it.

For priests, healing magic was like having English proficiency on a resume.  A skill essential for higher-level studies.

Knowing only healing magic was enough to make a living, but it wasn’t enough to do anything substantial.  Because most priests knew healing magic.

It seemed that priests who were struggling financially often became adventurers.

‘…I hope he got permission from his church.’

I hoped he wasn’t an anti-communist, pseudo-priest who had defected to the free market, dissatisfied with the rations provided by the church.

“Anyway, Nord, are you just going to sit there? You’ll freeze to death if you just stay still in this cold. Unless you’re wrapped in thick animal fur.”

“*Pray to the Sky God (yáǵeswō deiwōm dyeus).*”

“Oh, shit.”

Thank you very much. I had forgotten.

I followed Paragon’s advice and activated Beast Regression. The primal magic that granted the power of beasts to a human body worked instantly.  As the green mana enveloped my body, the cold was almost completely blocked.

“This is really versatile.  The primitive people must have been quite capable.”

“This is infuriating.  I’ll definitely learn *keeping warm* when I return to the church.”

“Wow, I’m so jealous.”

“Damn it.”

Grumbling, Paragon went to warm up.

I tried to conserve mana. I attempted to control the thickness of the mana catheters spread throughout my body.  I easily succeeded, imagining my blood vessels constricting.

“Heh, success on the first try.  As expected, I’m a genius.”

I muttered with satisfaction and watched Est exercise.  She was performing typical spear techniques.

“Your movements are different from when you were fighting the goblins.”

“Huh? Of course. Why would I only use a spear when I have a shield? My weapon is a short spear, so it’s worse than a sword without a shield.”

Were the short spear and shield a set? I remembered Old Man Gentrick, who had shown impressive skills in the sewers.

“Are the short spear and shield a good combination?  The adventurer I saw before also used a short spear and shield.”

I asked Est, who had just finished exercising and returned.  Wiping off her sweat, Est chuckled.

“It’s not exactly a ‘good’ combination, but it’s a good weapon for warrior adventurers who lack confidence in their skills. Short spears and wooden shields are easy to handle and cheap.”

“Isn’t a wooden shield easily broken?”

“It’s more durable than you think.  A monster below Silver-class wouldn’t be able to break it easily. Ah, Francesca.  Doesn’t it smell anymore?”

“No. You didn’t have to worry so much.”

Est, after wiping off her sweat, hugged Francesca.  Due to the height difference, it looked like she was hugging a doll.

“Wooden shields are usually designed to be okay even if a weapon gets stuck. It’s hard to pull out, so you can attack while they’re struggling.”

Francesca, nestled in Est’s arms, said.

“Oh. So it’s okay even if a wooden shield gets pierced?”

“What are you talking about? It’s not okay. The repair costs are huge.  And if it breaks, you have to buy a new one. This is definitely a rip-off.”

Est complained, being a newbie adventurer worried about money.

But from what I heard, a short spear seemed like a convenient weapon.

In reality, the spear was the king of all weapons.  But it wasn’t popular among adventurers. The main reason was that it was difficult to wield in narrow spaces.

This cave was a good example.

The area with the ruin was spacious, but the passage leading to the entrance was very narrow.  There wasn’t enough space to swing a spear in such a narrow passage.

Performing spear techniques in a place surrounded by walls would only result in hitting the walls, turning it into a game of chance.

“A short spear is a weapon specialized for thrusting. If you’re not going to swing it, you don’t need to obsess over its length, right?  A less skilled person would only get into trouble if the enemy grabs the shaft.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

The main power of a spear came from swinging it.  There was a reason why Guan Yu’s ultimate weapon was the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.  The Green Dragon Crescent Blade and the Fangtian Huaji were the ultimate evolutions of the spear.

In that sense, could a short spear be considered a weapon that traded the damage of a spear for increased attack speed and lower equipment requirements?

“Block with the shield, stab with the short spear.  Isn’t it easy? I can work as an adventurer thanks to this short spear and shield, even though I’m the third daughter of a merchant from a rural village.”

“I envy you for being able to use it without thinking.  It’s not easy to think during combat.”

Swordsmanship required precise calculation of the attack range and careful footwork.  Counterattacks and defense were also important.

That’s why a newbie like me, with poor control, often died because I was too busy thinking during combat and lost awareness of my surroundings.

‘This time too, my sword got stuck in a goblin’s body, and I got hit.’

Wearing a helmet wouldn’t solve this problem.  There were many things in this world that could break helmets, and even with full plate armor, you would die if you fell and dropped your weapon.

The problem was the narrow field of vision, and further narrowing it was putting the cart before the horse.

In that sense, the short spear and shield were amazing equipment.

It was like an overpowered deck in a TCG.  An elementary school kid’s overpowered deck that could win regardless of the opponent’s field, just by looking at their own hand and right hand.  It was so cool!

“I’m thinking about changing my weapon these days. Even though it hasn’t been long since I started using a sword.”

Est chuckled as I said that.

“I use a short spear too, but I don’t really recommend it. I heard it’s hard to improve your skills with a weapon that requires no skill.”

“Is that so? Safety is my top priority.”

“There are different ways to prioritize safety. You’re not like me, just trying to survive day by day, and you’re incredibly strong. You’re not planning to stay an Iron-class adventurer forever, are you?”

“Your assessment of my skills is too generous, but I understand what you mean.”

Combat power in this world was the product of physical ability and combat skills.

And the short spear and shield’s passive-aggressive combination wasn’t suitable for improving combat skills.  Because even if you fought 100 times, the main strategy was to hold the shield, play defensively, and chip away at the enemy’s health.

Even in TCGs, elementary school kids with overpowered decks couldn’t last long in ranked matches as they climbed the ladder. In the world of veterans, there was a definite wall that couldn’t be overcome without using your brain, even with an overpowered deck.

“That’s some good advice. There’s a similar saying I know.”

Paragon, who had returned almost sweat-free, said.

“A priest who relies on the convenience of magic cannot achieve greatness. Because he is not one who performs miracles, but one who wishes for miracles… or so it is said.”

That person would still be better than someone who couldn’t even rely on miracles. I thought so, looking at the monk who couldn’t even start a fire.

Even excluding fireball, which was wizard magic, if he knew any fire-starting magic, we wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

—–CROW—–