The bandits’ greatest weapon was their numbers.
They had no special skills, no outstanding equipment.
They were merely a mob of people driven by hunger, gathered together to plunder.
“Damn it, what the hell is that now!”
“A shield? He’s using some weird magic. Be careful!”
Their reaction was faster than I’d expected.
The bandits noticed my presence and began turning their gazes toward me one by one.
A lone man standing there with a shield of blue waves.
Even I would have found that hard to ignore.
Were there easily twenty of them? They had neither trained combat ability nor magic, but in terms of numbers, they were overwhelming.
Even so, I knew exactly what I had to do.
“One at a time… one by one…”
I muttered to myself, as if hypnotizing myself.
There was nothing more important than reducing their numbers.
My role on this battlefield was that of a shield soldier.
But the shield I used was no ordinary shield.
Thud!
“Guh—!”
I shoved back a charging bandit with my shield.
One of them fell, and the blade that had been about to strike my body hit the shield and bounced away.
“Careful! That bastard hits people with his shield!”
Someone shouted. It was only natural.
Because of the conspicuous shield, the bandits swarmed toward me.
Thud!
“Ghk!”
Another one was struck by the shield and staggered back.
All I was doing was pushing them away and defending.
In truth, there was nothing else I could do.
“You son of a bitch!”
One bandit came at my side with a dagger.
I twisted my body and thrust the Waterflow Shield forward.
Clang!
“How is this so hard— Gah!”
“You bandit bastard, you thought you could ignore me?”
Of course, I wasn’t alone.
Whenever I pushed forward once, my allies finished off the enemy.
My role was clear.
Hold up my shield, block the front, take the enemy’s attacks, and open a path.
In game terms, I was an aggro tank.
“You dumb bastards! Just ignore that fucker!”
“Fuck! Then who’s gonna stop him!”
But could they really ignore me?
I at least had a dagger on me, and at minimum, I could be a threat.
The fatigue building in my body gradually clouded my mind, but there was no room to collapse.
The greatest threat to me on this battlefield wasn’t the bandits in front of me.
It was arrows.
The arrows flying in from afar were aiming for the gaps around my shield.
Twang!
“Watch out!”
An archer shot an arrow high into the air.
In that instant, there was no time to dodge.
The arrow was flying toward me faster than I’d expected, with no room for me to avoid it.
Whoosh—
“Shit—!”
I hastily turned my body.
Clang!
The moment the arrow struck the barrier, a heavy impact traveled straight through my body.
My body rocked backward, and I was pushed back a step.
‘I’m fine. I’m fine…’
The Waterflow Barrier blocked most of the impact, but not all of it.
Pain spread like gentle ripples, wrapping around my body.
My strength was draining away, and my arms and legs refused to obey.
But my mind was still alive.
That thin curtain of water blocking the space before me was the last thread letting me hold on.
“Looks like this bastard’s tired too.”
But the enemies in front of me were drawing closer and closer.
One of them swung a two-handed sword at my shield and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Die!!”
“Huuu— fuck!”
His greatsword slammed into my Waterflow Shield, and a tremendous impact traveled through my entire body.
I staggered and took a step back.
Crack! Clang!
Splash!
The greatsword came down again and again without pause, chopping at the shield.
In the end, the shield shattered.
Water sprayed out, and the final blow broke through my defense and struck my body directly.
Crash!
“Urgh—!”
I fell backward and rolled across the ground.
My breath caught in my throat, and a crushing impact washed over me.
…But I was alive.
The blow to my torso had traveled all the way to my bones, but thankfully, I had my brigandine.
The iron plates embedded in the armor hadn’t torn apart, and they dulled the impact as they dispersed it, protecting my body.
If I hadn’t had this… I might have gotten a new breathing hole in my abdomen.
Lying on the ground, I tried to draw up my mana.
But I couldn’t feel anything.
My consciousness was growing dimmer and dimmer.
The only sensations left were the cold floor and the sounds growing more distant.
‘Is this as far as I go…?’
With a trembling hand still gripping my dagger,
I barely managed to glare at the silhouettes of the bandits approaching me.
That was when it happened.
Someone charged in from behind the bandits.
The sound of iron clashing, the sound of rough breathing.
The mercenaries had cut through the battle line and burst out onto the battlefield.
“Kill every last one of these bandit bastards!”
“Uoooohhh!”
Was it finally over?
Before my eyes, the bandits began falling one by one.
The remaining ones fled in terror, and only then did the battle finally end.
I wanted to feel the joy of victory.
But my body had already collapsed to the ground, unable to move anymore.
Gasping for breath, I opened my mouth one last time.
“I… pulled my weight…”
Those words were all I could leave behind.
***
When I opened my eyes in a somewhat hazy state of consciousness, I realized the space I was in was dark.
‘Phew, so I’m not dead.’
The moment I realized I was alive, the remaining fatigue came crashing over me all at once.
I lay there on the floor, staring up at the ceiling and sinking into thought.
‘Why the hell are there so many battles?’
The fights I’d been through until now flashed through my mind.
How long had it even been since I came to this world? And I’d already been in five battles.
Each time, I’d barely survived.
Had there been some incident that caused bandits to run rampant?
No, maybe everything I’d experienced had been part of that sort of incident.
In this world, things like this were probably just… everyday life.
‘Should I look into the state of the world?’
Honestly, if this world had always been like this, that was pretty bleak.
I figured I should gather information at least once.
I was getting tired of being swept up in things without knowing anything.
Just as such thoughts surfaced one after another in the dark room,
[You have reached a milestone. Please choose a perk.]
A familiar voice rang in my ear.
It wasn’t an enhancement this time.
There were probably separate conditions for it.
‘Fine, let’s put the complicated thoughts aside… and choose this.’
Paang—!
__________________________
[Increase Maximum Strength]
[Increase Maximum Mana]
[Equipment Item: Weapon]
__________________________
“Holy shit…”
The moment I saw the cards appear, admiration slipped out of me on its own.
The fact that it was a new type of card was surprising, but what stood out even more was the color of the card.
The color of [Equipment Item: Weapon] was, unbelievably, “blue.”
‘Don’t tell me it’s rare grade?’
I wasn’t certain.
But of all the cards I’d seen until now, this was the first that shone with such a vivid blue light.
And more than anything, “equipment item”?
Usually, it was either stat enhancement or magic, so I hadn’t expected a weapon to appear.
Maybe the increase in money I’d seen last time had been foreshadowing.
‘What kind of weapon is it? Surely it won’t be something I can’t use, right?’
The moment that thought occurred to me, I grew a little anxious.
If it turned out to be something like a hammer or a greatsword… that would be seriously troublesome.
I glanced over the description written at the bottom of the card.
[Randomly grants a weapon suited to the user.]
“…You fucking kidding me. Random again?”
A curse escaped my mouth on its own.
The one saving grace was that the sentence included “suited to the user.”
‘Surely they won’t say that and then give me an ultra-greatsword or something, right?’
I felt anxious, but at the same time, my expectations were high.
Right. It wasn’t like I could not pick it.
I touched [Equipment Item: Weapon].
The card that usually seeped into my hand instead condensed in midair this time.
Crackle—!
A blue light flashed before my eyes.
Immediately after, something fell in front of me with a thud.
I hurried over and bent my upper body down.
Half curiosity, half anxiety.
Slowly, I lowered my head and looked at the fallen object.
“…A staff?”
It was a long, smooth black staff.
A round blue crystal was embedded at its tip.
The grip was neatly wrapped in leather that seemed perfect for fitting into the hand.
I didn’t know what kind of wood the staff’s black frame was made of.
But it was delicately engraved with patterns like rippling waves, giving it an air that was somehow luxurious and mysterious.
An alien design with a strangely modern sensibility mixed in.
Even so, it definitely looked like a magic item.
And for some reason… it felt like it would fit perfectly in my hand.
‘It’s cooler than I expected.’
After staring at it for a moment, I reached out and carefully picked it up.
The staff, which was about half my height, was lighter and sturdier than expected.
When I lifted the staff, a card appeared before my eyes.
[Equipment Item: Droplet Staff]
[Grade: Rare]
[Description: Slightly improves control over blue magic. Has a fixed chance to store water when magic is used.]
“…Oh.”
A natural sound of admiration escaped my mouth.
A staff. This was truly perfect for me right now.
Yeah, if you’re a mage, a staff is the standard.
On top of that, a fixed chance to store water?
I didn’t know what the probability was, but it was an option that seemed like it would be quite useful.
‘So something like this really comes to me too.’
If I followed my heart, I would have shouted “Yippee,” but because I’d been in battle until just now, my body was exhausted.
As I surrendered myself to fatigue, my consciousness gradually grew hazy.
***
When I opened my eyes, I was lying inside a carriage.
My head was dizzy, my body ached, and I was crushed beneath fatigue.
As I opened my eyes little by little and assessed the situation, my memories finally returned.
The battle against the bandits, and the moment I collapsed after my Waterflow Shield was broken.
And… the memory of choosing the system reward at the end of that battle.
‘Right, there was something I got as a reward…’
But no matter how much I looked around, the staff was nowhere to be seen.
What the hell, had I been scammed?
I tilted my head and slowly sat up.
Just then, the tent flap opened, and someone’s voice came through.
It was a familiar voice—Baret’s.
“You’re awake. Thank goodness.”
He said that as he poked his face into the carriage.
“We dealt with all the bandits, and we’re taking care of the rest.”
“Ah, is everyone safe?”
“Thanks to your efforts, Lord Ribe, the carriage and the merchant company’s people are safe, but two from our side…”
Seeing his gloomy expression, I finally realized my mistake.
Right. Everyone surviving was too much like something out of a novel.
At least the fortunate thing was that Baret, at any rate, was safe.
He briefly checked my condition, then immediately went back outside to handle the aftermath.
The inside of the carriage was still quiet.
Outside, Baret’s orders passed back and forth, and the busy sounds continued.
Just as the relief that the battle was over began to settle in, the fatigue and pain came belatedly rushing in.
A heavy pain remained in my shoulders and elbows, and small spasms occasionally ran through the tips of my arms.
I’d hoped for some level-up recovery reward, but it wasn’t as much as I’d expected.
It seemed I would need a little more time to recover completely.
“Are you feeling all right?”
Baret approached me briefly and asked. Worry showed on his face.
“You must be very tired. Please rest a little longer.”
“I’m fine.”
I answered in a tired voice.
A worried look briefly crossed his face, but soon he nodded.
“You overdid it this time. Please let your body rest properly.”
At his words, I quietly shook my head, surrendered to my exhausted body, and closed my eyes again.
Outside, Baret’s instructions continued, and the cleanup after the battle was in full swing.
How much time had passed?
When I opened my eyes again, the presence outside the carriage had disappeared, and silence lingered for a moment.
When I turned my head toward the window, I saw Baret walking this way with something in his hand.
He approached the carriage door, then silently held out the item in his hand.
It was none other than the staff I had received as a system reward.
“I found this.”
With a serious expression, Baret handed me the staff.
“It was something the bandit leader had. Since you played such an active role, Lord Ribe, it’s only right that you take it.”
I received the staff in a daze.
…So this was how it was given to me?
No matter how I thought about it, it was strange that some mere bandit had possessed such an expensive-looking staff.
On top of that, just because I’d contributed a little, he was handing it over so readily?
The system had clearly manipulated causality.
As if forcibly fitting it into the flow of the story.
When that thought crossed my mind, an inexplicable chill ran down my spine.
‘Could it be that bringing me to this world was also…’
But I immediately shook off that thought.
What mattered now was survival.
To survive, I had to use anything I could.
I gripped the staff tightly again and quietly smiled at Baret.
“Thank you.”
When I said that, Baret gave a slight nod.
“Please rest. Now is truly the time for you to recover.”
The carriage slowly began moving again.
Still burdened by lingering fatigue, I drifted in and out of sleep, and before I knew it, the sun was setting.
The red evening sunlight seeped through the carriage window, and along with the gradually darkening sky, the scenery around us changed.
The road became even more peaceful and quiet, and the carriage was coming to the end of its final stretch toward the village.
The scenery outside the window grew clearer and clearer, and the lights of the village slowly began to appear.
The lights drawing closer from afar marked the village’s boundary.
And within those lights, I could see the silhouettes of people.
The carriage slowly reduced its speed, and the village entrance gradually came into view.
A wooden gate appeared, and beyond it, small houses stood neatly in rows.
The village atmosphere was still quiet, and the people’s evening activities seemed to be coming to an end.
As the carriage reached the center of the village, I raised myself up.
A moment later, the tent flap of the stopped carriage was lifted, and Baret’s voice came through.
“We’ve arrived. This is Delhar Village.”
At long last, we had reached the village.