I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[014] The Great City of Verastin
“There! I can see the city walls!! It’s Verastin!”
“Excellent!! Everyone, push through to the end!”
After walking diligently since dawn, the destination finally came into view in the distance.
The Mercenaries, having endured their share of monsters and bandits over the past few days, cheered and quickened their pace.
I too moved leisurely behind the cart laden with captured bandits and bounty, and opened my mouth to speak.
“Malton, there’s something I need to tell you….”
“…I know, Doran. You want me to keep quiet about the fact that you can wield the Evil God’s power. The unprecedented ability to freely shift between undead and human form….”
“No, I was just wondering if you had any jerky left to share.”
“…You’ve become quite brazen. Your words have grown short too.”
Malton grumbled but handed over the pouch containing the jerky.
The commotion from yesterday had been smoothly attributed to the work of a passing Skeleton.
Since the ability to transform into undead or monsters was uncommon even in Belheim, they could quickly find a connection to Antagon.
Antagon, who governs madness and deception, is classified as an Evil God after all, so even in Belheim where religious freedom is guaranteed, it’s wiser to keep it hidden.
“But Doran, did you take that?”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“The belongings that were in the Mercenary Captain’s backpack. There was definitely something in there that was luring the monsters.”
“Oh, this?”
I pulled out an iron container from Lehiman’s backpack that I had slung across my shoulders.
Inside the container lay a grotesque lump of flesh.
[Naga’s Heart]
“An item obtained by extracting the heart of a Naga that inhabits rivers and then preserving it.”
“Nagas lure and devour monsters with their unique mana and scent! Even after the heartbeat has stopped, this heart still emanates that distinctive mana and odor!”
“Distribution of this item is prohibited among civilians! Be careful not to be caught by the City Guard!”
The reason Lehiman had been able to summon monsters and orchestrate their attacks.
Malton frowned upon seeing the object in my hand.
“…Didn’t I tell you to dispose of that long ago?”
“What a waste to throw this away. If used properly, it’s incredibly useful.”
“It’s far too dangerous. Didn’t a horde of monsters come charging at us because of it?”
“I’ve sealed it properly again, so it’s fine. With just this, I can level up incredibly fast, right?”
“…So you’re planning to deliberately send monsters into a rampage and hunt them? Truly a wise idea.”
“Right?”
“That was sarcasm.”
Though Malton spoke curtly, I stubbornly tucked the Naga’s Heart back into my backpack.
With death awaiting me if I don’t reach level 30 within two months, I’m in no position to be picky.
If necessary, I can use this item to summon monsters and acquire a massive amount of experience.
After passing through a simple inspection and the city gate, the Mercenaries headed toward the Tavern.
I waved goodbye to the Mercenaries who called out in a friendly manner, asking to be hired again if escort was needed, and then I saw merchants busily organizing their goods.
“You all seem quite busy.”
“Haha. For us merchants, this is just the beginning! You’ve worked so hard, Doran. If you hadn’t awakened the Mercenaries and alerted them to the danger, we wouldn’t be standing here now.”
“I merely did what was necessary. …What do you intend to do with the captured Bandits and their equipment?”
“Ah, we plan to turn the Bandits over to the Adventurer’s Guild, report the incident, and collect the bounty! As for the seized equipment, we’ll put it up for auction to ensure we get fair value. Once the paperwork is processed, you’ll receive your share of the proceeds, Doran.”
“That’s welcome news.”
Especially the prospect of someone else handling the tedious bureaucracy—that’s genuinely good news.
I couldn’t even fathom how many days it would take to explain everything to the Guild and close out this matter in a world where administrative systems were so underdeveloped.
“Please visit the Ophelia Merchant Company! I, Amur, swear I shall repay this debt!!”
After parting ways with the Merchant Caravan members, only Malton and I remained on the Main Street.
Malton exhaled a long sigh before speaking.
“I have mountains of questions for you… but the timing is poor today. Are you still determined to become an Adventurer?”
“Of course.”
“Then register with the Acaia Guild, which issued this escort contract. If you mention that Malton vouched for you, the process will be far smoother.”
“Right, be careful in there.”
“…Ah, I nearly forgot to give you this.”
Just as we were about to part, Malton pulled a spare hooded robe from his pack and handed it to me.
“It’s best to wear this hood while you’re in this city. The people here harbor prejudice against black hair, you see.”
“Prejudice…?”
“Some might pick a quarrel with you unprovoked. Even if it’s uncomfortable, it’s better than drawing unwanted attention.”
Malton waved farewell and departed.
I stood motionless for a moment, watching him disappear into the distance.
There was no such detail in the game…?
‘Well, there’s no harm in being cautious.’
I draped the robe he’d given me over my shoulders and strolled down the Main Street.
A fantasy-styled street evoking medieval or Renaissance aesthetics.
Standing in a place I’d only ever seen through the degraded graphics of a capsule device felt surreal.
I’d even used this place as a base of operations for a time….
I gazed eagerly around the city, my eyes darting beneath the hood.
And not long after I began walking the streets, I felt something akin to what I’d experienced upon arriving at the Port Town.
‘This place is brimming with vitality….’
The Verastin I remembered was desolate beyond measure.
The citizens’ faces were always clouded with grim worry, and monsters constantly breached the fractured City Walls, triggering alarms at all hours.
Yet in this peaceful city before me, I couldn’t find a trace of that darkness no matter how hard I looked.
The flower beds along the streets bloomed with vibrant blossoms, and the City Wall—once hideously crumbled with cold wind whistling through—stood pristine without a single crack.
Shops thrived, every alley teemed with people, and children played around the fountain in the park.
‘Even the City Guard building is standing intact?’
I’d witnessed with my own eyes how it was trampled and destroyed by the Cyclops before….
Just then, commotion erupted nearby.
“A massive monster has been spotted beyond the West Gate! Everyone, hurry!!”
“Hey, you lot! Take it easy!”
Watching the knights rush past in formation and merchants tossing oranges while cheering, I began to doubt whether this was truly the Belheim I’d played.
‘…It’s definitely different.’
It’s becoming increasingly real—Belheim is still a world worth living in.
But within the next two to three years, Belheim will endure multiple catastrophes rivaling Ragnarok itself, and humanity will plummet to merely twenty to thirty percent of its current numbers.
And I, having come to live in this world, will inevitably be swept up in every crisis that unfolds.
Archdemons will invade the surface, several gods will betray and wage war, ancient beasts will awaken in the seas, and countless monsters will attack with savage ferocity.
If I squander time basking in this false peace, I’ll simply be consumed by the catastrophe that looms ahead.
So I must grow stronger before the next crisis arrives, no matter what.
‘Perhaps… the appearance of Lich’s Pirate Fleet in the Coastal Region is an omen that a great calamity is drawing near.’
At least I was fortunate enough to recruit Malton, one of my most reliable allies, ahead of schedule.
I watched the beautiful beastfolk strolling leisurely through the streets, oblivious to the impending doom I knew awaited them, and leaned my back against a vendor’s stall to think.
Arriving in the City and gathering information was good, but what exactly should I do to prepare for the coming crisis?
‘I can search for information about reincarnators later… and registering as an Adventurer now would be awkward timing….’
“Hunting monsters near the City Wall while raising my level seems like the best course of action.”
Since I’ve traveled to the past, the monsters appearing in this Region may have changed.
Hunting monsters is also one of the most reliable ways to sense any abnormalities in Belheim firsthand.
Besides, I still haven’t properly examined all my spoils, and if I spread them out here on the street, pickpockets and thieves would strip me bare in an instant.
With my thoughts settled, I quickly headed out of the City.
Passing aggressive street vendors and the vast Farmland sprawling around the City Wall, I entered the Forest where a refreshing breeze greeted me.
A crisp sea breeze flowing through the blue foliage and undergrowth.
“This should be far enough.”
Once the Castle was hidden behind the trees, I set down my backpack and sat on a rock to check my status.
“My level is fifteen… it’s risen quite a bit….”
Before fighting the Bandits, I was at level thirteen early on, and it jumped significantly.
I distributed the stat points I gained between Strength and Agility.
Eventually I’ll need to invest in Luck and Intelligence as well, but I’ll worry about that later.
“Let’s see… from Lehiman’s backpack that I secretly took, the useful items were Firesteel, portable tableware, and a dissection dagger… the rest was just taking up space, so I discarded it. I changed into spare clothes, but it’s a shame I couldn’t recover much equipment from the Bandits….”
If I had revealed myself as that Skeleton back then, I would have earned recognition and decent rewards, but risking my identity being exposed for a few cheap pieces of equipment would have been foolish.
Still, I managed to pocket a few silver coins from the Bandits’ purses, so I should be able to get by for a while on that alone.
I can draw water from the Well, and if I visit the Temple early in the morning, I can get free bread, so by tightening my belt I can minimize wasteful spending to the extreme.
And there’s still one crucial matter I haven’t examined yet.
‘This Disguise skill….’
Back in the game, when I transformed using Antagon’s Rune, my character would often fall into abnormal conditions or become seized by bizarre compulsions.
The log didn’t properly record the cause, so at the time I thought it was nonsense, but now I can say with certainty.
‘Damn… I should have named the skill properly….’
I was nearly fooled by the name [Disguise], but this skill doesn’t merely change appearance—it’s closer to transforming my very existence.
My mind, body, thought patterns, and even trivial habits—everything.
Recalling how I was when transformed into a Skeleton Warrior, I was incomparably more aggressive than I am now.
Otherwise, I couldn’t have laughed like a madman while harming people.
And on top of the Evil God [Antagon’s Rune], I’ve even absorbed another Evil God [Andira’s Orb]….
…Isn’t the proportion of Evil Gods rather high?
“I need to be careful not to have my sense of self consumed by reckless transformations… If it becomes known that I possess Antagon’s Rune, it’ll be a disaster, so I should hide my transformation ability as much as possible. …But what is this smell?”
I lifted my head toward the direction from which the foul stench emanated.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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