I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 16

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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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[016] Resonance Stone Mining
“A Goblin Shaman has appeared in the Nearby Forest?!”
“Yes. I’ve brought its ear as proof.”
“Team leader, take a look at this!”
When I stopped by the Adventurer’s Guild to report my subjugation achievement and submit my membership application, the place erupted into activity.
I asked carefully, gauging the atmosphere.
“Is the appearance of a Goblin Shaman really such a big deal?”
“Well… the Knight Order typically patrols this area regularly. It’s certainly not a common occurrence. Something unusual might have happened.”
The guild receptionist jotted something down with a quill pen and marveled.
“Still, you’re impressive. Bringing down a Goblin Shaman on your very first subjugation… and even meeting the guild membership requirements with it. I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”
“Pardon? There’s no initiation ritual culture here?”
“Of course there is. For first-time adventurer registrations, we typically assign safer tasks like roof repairs, finding lost cats, or sewer cleaning for their safety.”
“I see….”
Roof repairs? Finding lost cats??
That sounds like some kind of utopia.
The adventurers I knew in Belheim were nothing more than meat shields for slaying monsters.
Disposable commodities, ground up to delay humanity’s extinction.
“So, can I register as is?”
“Well… to register with our Acaia Guild, we need several documents. First, we require an identity certificate issued from your previous city. If we recruit murderers or serious criminals, it damages our guild’s reputation.”
‘Troublesome.’
In the game, you’d have a massive brawl with a veteran adventurer, make peace over rum, and be done with registration.
Of course, I didn’t have any identity certificate.
As I pondered this, my conversation with Malton suddenly came to mind.
“Well… I lost my identity certificate to a Bandit, but truthfully, I was referred to this guild. You might have heard of Malton….”
“You were referred by Malton?”
The receptionist looked up with a surprised expression and continued.
“That’s unusual… he’s one of the strongest in our branch guild, but he rarely recommends others. Recently, his health seems to have declined—he only takes easy requests now—but….”
“Ha ha….”
“Regardless, you’ve defeated a Goblin Shaman right from the start, and you’re a recruit worthy of Malton’s recommendation… I’m very excited about your potential!”
“So I can handle the identity verification later at my own pace?”
“Yes, if that elf vouches for you, you can’t be a bad person! Just fill in the essential information here, and I’ll issue your adventurer’s badge right away. Is there anything else you’d like guidance on?”
“Yes, I’d like to accept the ‘Resonance Stone Mining’ quest right now.”
“Resonance Stone Mining?”
The guild receptionist looked up with a puzzled expression.
* * *
Doran pulled his hood low and exited the City Wall again, heading toward the location specified in the request.
My current objective was clear.
Raise my level as much as possible and strengthen my combat power before the Dungeon opens.
And to do that, I needed to awaken the greaves I’d stolen from the Mary Celeste Fleet.
This item was special—to unlock its hidden potential, I needed a material called Resonance Stone.
Moreover, the Resonance Stone Cave mining quest requires a minimum party of four people.
‘This time, I’ll have no choice but to form a party with other adventurers.’
After walking briskly to the location written on the request, I spotted three people engaged in conversation.
Were these the people who received the same request as me?
A man and woman, each armed with a bow and short spear respectively.
And the woman holding a sword and shield… judging by the shape of her ears, she appeared to be a Retriever beastkin.
The composition wasn’t bad, but judging by their youthful appearance and equipment, they were greenhorns who’d been adventurers for less than three months.
‘Hmm… I’m a bit anxious about trusting them with my back.’
But then again, I’d only just become an adventurer myself—hardly one to judge.
As I approached, the Retriever beastkin sensed my presence and greeted me warmly.
“Are you here for the Resonance Stone mining request? Nice to meet you! I’m Razvel! Could you verify your identity before we depart?”
“Of course. Here it is.”
I handed over the wooden badge I’d received after completing the Guild registration.
“Ah, but be careful with that—the ink will smudge if you handle it wrong.”
“Hmm? Oh, the ink hasn’t dried yet… You just became an adventurer, didn’t you? Will you be alright? The cave we’re heading to occasionally has Kobolds appearing…”
“That won’t be a problem.”
I answered confidently, but the adventurers’ expressions carried a hint of skepticism.
‘Well, I can’t blame them.’
I wasn’t born into a race specialized in combat, and all I possessed was a single sword corroded by sea spray.
As I shrugged, Razvel laughed awkwardly and returned the badge to me.
“Well… your personal information checks out, so let’s move while we talk! Besides, the probability of monsters appearing in the Resonance Stone Cave is supposedly low. The adventurer seniors who went before said there were no issues at all…”
“…Do you happen to know when those adventurers visited?”
“Hmm… it was probably three months ago. That’s the last exploration record we have.”
“I see…”
It was natural that monsters would move into places where human traffic had ceased.
And three months was more than enough time for creatures to establish a lair.
‘Something… feels ominous.’
One step at a time.
After walking for about thirty minutes along a narrow path through the forest, we arrived at a large cave.
Razvel looked up from the map and spoke.
“Well… we’ve arrived! This is the cave where we can harvest Resonance Stones. Oh, wait a moment…”
“What are you doing right now?”
“I’m checking for monster signs! If monsters nest here, there will be traces. If there’s droppings, we can even estimate what kind of monster it is. …Since it looks clean, I think we can go in.”
Razvel’s party lit torches and entered the cave, but I furrowed my brow and stopped.
‘…No, something feels off.’
If it had been abandoned for three months, monsters or wild beasts should have come and gone at least a few times.
To escape the rain, or to regulate body temperature away from the midday sun.
Yet there wasn’t a single trace—which was strange in itself.
In situations like this, usually…
I stepped back from the cave entrance and surveyed the surroundings.
As expected, behind an inconspicuous thicket lay the discarded bones and feathers of half-eaten prey.
‘Not a Kobold… a Goblin perhaps? No, Goblins usually mark their territory by smearing waste or hanging their kills…’
Ominous Premonition: 2 stacks.
“Um… Doran! What are you doing over there?”
“I’m coming now. I was just checking something for a moment.”
Urged on by the party, Doran lit his torch and moved forward.
「You have entered the Resonance Stone Cave!」
「Though it has been abandoned for so long it is practically a defunct mine, deep within the cavern, Resonance Stones still glimmer faintly here and there.」
「Be careful, as monsters occasionally emerge from these depths!」
The moment I stepped into the spacious cavern, a damp chill seized my skin.
‘This is far more ominous than anything I saw in the game.’
With each footfall, eerie echoes reverberated through the darkness, and scattered about were the remnants of torches and broken pickaxes left by previous adventurers.
Yet Doran paid no attention to these discarded items, instead scrutinizing the cavern walls with keen focus.
‘Around here, perhaps?’
When exploring such places, lowering one’s line of sight to match a monster’s height proves invaluable.
Just as humans leave marks at eye level when they scratch graffiti, monsters too leave claw marks at their own eye height.
After advancing for quite some time while carefully examining the creatures’ traces, the Male Adventurer walking ahead finally spoke.
“Hmm… the mining sector must still be far ahead… Razvel, do you sense any monsters nearby? You’re a canine beastkin, so your sense of smell should be sharp.”
“That’s… I’m not sure. My nose has felt numb since earlier because of this strange odor.”
“A strange odor?”
“Yeah… ah, found it! I think this might be the cause… what is this?”
As Razvel picked up a crushed mushroom and bundle of incense from the cavern floor, Doran instinctively cursed.
“…Damn it.”
That was a method certain monsters used to conceal their own scent.
Ominous Premonition: 3 stacks. Confirmed.
This place had already been claimed by monsters.
And the fact that such traces were now visible to the naked eye meant we had ventured far too deep to turn back.
‘It’s too late to escape…!’
My blood ran cold, and cold sweat seeped from every pore of my body.
Now that an invisible encirclement was complete, even if we turned and fled, we would inevitably encounter the creatures.
Yet if we simply stood and fought here, we would be slaughtered in moments.
The monsters nesting in this place were far beyond my current capabilities.
So what must I do now to survive?
‘First the scent…! I must mask the scent…!!’
Doran threw himself flat against the ground and shouted.
“Everyone stop!”
The adventurers froze in confusion, casting strange glances his way, but Doran paid them no mind and rolled across the floor, crying out.
“You all must follow my lead! Quickly!”
「The Adventurer Party regards your bizarre behavior with bewilderment!」
‘Damn it…!’
There’s no time for lengthy explanations.
Doran rolled desperately across the ground, coating his entire body in mud.
But merely masking the scent wouldn’t be enough.
This would only delay discovery—it wouldn’t save his life when it truly mattered.
To survive the battle ahead, I needed to secure additional stats.
As Doran pondered his options, he noticed the Adventurers staring at him with bewildered expressions, and a realization struck him.
「They fail to comprehend your actions and whisper among themselves!」
「Due to the [Chaos] skill, your Agility and Strength each increase by 2.」
“…I have to. I must do this.”
“Y-yes…?”
“If you want to live, coat yourselves with this mud just as I have!”
“W-wait…! There’s feces mixed in this…! Ugh!!”
“So filthy…!”
“It’s not filthy!! We’re becoming one with nature!!”
Doran’s eyes gleamed wildly as he cried out, as though possessed by some force.
For a moment, the dignity of a modern man flickered before his eyes, but Doran cast aside his hesitation and chose the path of survival.
As he scooped up handfuls of foul-smelling mud and thrust it toward them, the Adventurers grimaced and slowly backed away.
From their perspective, a man they’d just met today had suddenly gone mad, engaging in such bizarre behavior—it was utterly absurd!
「The Adventurers regard you with disgust and caution!」
「They feel instinctive shock and revulsion at the sight of you covered in filthy refuse!」
「Your Agility temporarily increases by 5!」
‘My Agility rose…!’
Barely had I savored this precious stat gain, purchased at the cost of my social reputation, when a chilling cry echoed from deep within the cave.
—SCREEEEEEECH————!!!!!
“Ugh…! What in the world is that?!”
“Everyone, prepare for combat! There must be Goblins nesting here!”
“But…did Goblins ever cry out so loudly…?”
“…It is not a Goblin.”
“What…? If not a Goblin, then what exactly…?”
Ding—!
「Radgit, lurking deep within the cave, has detected your presence!」
「A natural hermit, skilled in concealing its traces.」
「Radgit catches the scent of humans and salivates! Humans who wander lost or seek shelter from rain are perfect prey for Radgit!」
‘Damn it all…’
The worst possible monster to encounter now.
Radgit was a creature whose maximum level approached a staggering 17.
A skeletal frame like a bat, smooth gray skin devoid of fur, eyes dulled and degenerated.
A true cave-dwelling humanoid monster.
Combined with razor-sharp claws and the environmental advantage of the cave itself, it transformed into something akin to a murderer for novices.
Even now, I could not guarantee my own survival.
—SCREEEEEECH!!!
In that instant, Radgit emerged from the darkness with a bone-chilling shriek, his claws slashing through the air.
Razvel reflexively raised her shield to block, but Doran immediately sensed something was wrong.
‘She doesn’t know how to use a shield…!’
Like a novice, she was desperately trying to brute-force her way through, meeting his assault head-on with raw strength alone.
As Razvel staggered backward under the relentless barrage, Radgit pressed his advantage, attacking with vicious persistence.
Crack—! Screech—! Boom!!
“Ugh…!”
“Fall back, Razvel!!”
The Spear Wielder thrust his lance forward, but it only grazed Radgit’s thigh.
In the chaos of their tangled struggle, the Male Adventurer’s arrow went wide, embedding itself in the ceiling.
The moment of total defeat was upon them.
Just as Radgit was about to wedge his claws through the shield and strike—
Slice—!
I swiftly circled behind Radgit and severed his neck with a single decisive stroke.
By masking my presence with the stench and raising my stats, I could land a killing blow.
I grasped the fallen Razvel’s hand and pulled her to her feet. She hesitated, then bowed her head sheepishly.
“Ah, um… th-thank you?”
“It’s not over yet.”
“What?”
───────!!!!!
Before the words had even left my mouth, a creature’s howl echoed from deep within the cave.
In response, roars erupted in rapid succession from all directions, followed by an alarm blaring like madness.
「Radgit has appeared!」
「Radgit has appeared!」
「Radgit has appeared!」
「Radgit has appear…!」
As the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, the Adventurers’ faces drained of all color.
One Radgit was already overwhelming; facing this many at once meant certain death.
I too clenched my teeth anxiously, peering into the darkness ahead.
‘There’s no time…!’
With my current stats, I could handle one or two, but if they came all at once, I’d be torn to shreds.
To survive, I needed to secure more stats.
Which meant I had to do something even more outrageous than before.
In this chaotic situation, there was only one way to seize their attention and plunge them further into confusion.
“Everyone, look at me!!”
I called out loudly to the Adventurers who were about to flee.
Then, squeezing my eyes shut….
‘…to hell with it!’
I stripped off my upper and lower garments and spread both arms wide.
「The Adventurers are seized with shock!」
「They doubt their own eyes as they gaze upon you!」
「The Adventurers, having witnessed something unspeakable, turn their heads away!」
Doran remained sprawled flat across the mud pit, his voice desperate and pleading.
“Please! Everyone, look at me clearly!!”
No. Actually, I wish they wouldn’t.
“This is my true form!”
No, it isn’t. This isn’t really who I am.
“T-take this!!”
Not content with coating my entire body in black, I began hurling mud thick with filth at them, and the Adventurers recoiled in horror.
“Th-this guy is completely insane!!”
“I-I’m not insane!!”
Each time the scales between modern dignity and the will to survive teetered like a seesaw, tears streamed down from my chest, yet I had to endure it.
「Due to [Chaos], Agility temporarily increases by 4!」
「Due to [Chaos], Agility temporarily increases by 3!」
「The auxiliary stat [Stealth] temporarily rises by 2!」
「Temporarily…」
“Uu, uoooh….”
I felt my body grow lighter in real time.
It was fortunate that not only my main stats but also the hidden stat ‘Stealth’ had been enhanced.
With this, I might actually stand a chance against the Radgit Group.
Shing—!
As I drew my cutlass and stepped forward, the Adventurers regarded me with incomprehension in their eyes.

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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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