"Mmm, that's a pretty common dream, honestly. Most people beco adventurers for that very reason. I used to think the sa way—make money, improve life back ho."
Sizki nodded thoughtfully. She didn't seem to find Ryuji's dream too mundane or anything worth judging.
That's just how the world is. As long as people aren't hurting others, what they want to do is their business.
She let out a soft sigh and turned her head slightly."Well, enough of that. Eat up—we need to get ready for the night watch. We'll be splitting shifts, and we'll also need to patrol in turns."
Ryuji wanted to ask why they needed patrols when they hadn't even left the outskirts of the city, but since the idea ca from an experienced adventurer, he decided to just accept it without complaint.
Like Ryuji, Sizki was also briefly stunned by how much Rosh could eat. But afterward, it was just another uneventful night watch.
A few hours passed quickly. With his weight-enhancing training gear still active, Ryuji was already exhausted and went straight to sleep without much talk.
The days that followed were more of the sa—traveling by day, practicing how to control and release his fla spells, and… not encountering much of anything. No monsters, no bandits, not even the infamous dark elves.
The journey was so smooth that they arrived two full days ahead of schedule. Ryuji didn't even know how to respond. He had been hoping for so kind of epic encounter, maybe a wave of monsters or sothing. But there was nothing.
Sure, they ran into a few goblins and the like, but those were either wiped out ahead of ti by other bored adventurers, or the problem had already been handled before Ryuji even woke up.
Still, it wasn't all for nothing. At least he picked up so knowledge about wild herbs, fruits, and basic wilderness survival. The little details that real adventurers actually relied on.
After collecting his ager paynt from the rchant caravan—money that he didn't even care for—Ryuji looked down at himself. He reeked. So did Rosh, and even Sizki was glistening with sweat.
"…Is this what an adventurer's life is like? This boring?" he asked, half-joking.
"This one just went unusually smooth. Monsters can tell when a group is too strong, and they steer clear."
Sizki gave a small shrug, looking perfectly relaxed.
"Usually, we'd at least get hit by one or two goblin raids. But this ti, I guess the sheer size of the caravan scared them off. Don't worry—I've already told you what to watch for. After a two-day break, I'll show you so proper training techniques. Then we'll head back to Hendon Myre through the Lorein Forest. Trust , there'll be plenty of monsters waiting for us."
She looked entirely content. After all, getting paid without lifting a sword? That's a win in anyone's book.
"Fine by … But first, we seriously need a bath."
Ryuji sighed and glanced around, preparing to search for Seria's inn.
The only reason he had co here so confidently was because he knew Seria was around. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared ask Sizki to take on two jobs at once.
What surprised him, though, was that Seria didn't run the only inn here. In fact, there were quite a few. The town was much bigger than it looked in the ga, with many more stores and inns. Most of them were busy doing trade with the caravan—restocking supplies and selling goods.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryuji noticed a pale-haired man with a twisted, red, almost grotesque-looking arm walking toward the caravan. Clearly, the guy was trying to join.
When Ryuji's gaze fell on that monstrous arm, a chilling sense of dread surged through him. The contorted muscles, the way they seed to shift and bulge like they were forming faces—it triggered sothing deep in his mind. A reflexive fear. A mory of endless waves of zombies crashing toward him.
But when he blinked, the vision faded. It was just a red, misshapen arm—freakish, yes, but not impossible to look at. And yet, the unease lingered. The longer he stared, the more he felt like he was being watched by countless eyes. It was deeply unsettling.
That was sothing the ga never conveyed. The dread of a "ghost arm" went far beyond re strength—it was a thing of nightmares. And Ryuji, who thought his mind had already been tempered by this world, still found himself shivering under its presence.
Yes, "ghost hand" was a very fitting na.
Right then, Sizki—the ever-helpful lore guide—spoke up.
"That's a Ghost Swordsman. Their 'ghost hands' grant them trendous strength. At full force, they can hit with several tis the power of a normal person. They can even channel demonic powers. Their sword style is called the Ghost Sword technique, and it far surpasses what most swordsn can ever achieve through effort alone."
The ghost swordsman glanced at them when he heard her, but said nothing. He simply walked off.
Ryuji couldn't help but agree. Back when he acquired the Blood Qi Secret Art, he had already realized how powerful a ghost hand could be. Imnse strength, high resilience, and even a limited will of its own—it was basically the perfect tool for physical cultivation.
If only it didn't look so hideous. And for normal people, that thing was the stuff of horror.
"Looks like he's trying to join the caravan?"
"Yeah. They're heading into the Empire next, and that road is far more dangerous than the one we just traveled. The caravan leader will definitely want to recruit him. Co on, I know a nearby inn where we can get cleaned up. After that, I'll start teaching you proper training techniques."
With that, she led them toward a path leading out of town.
Ryuji didn't object. He wasn't the hero of this world. Glancing at Seria was enough—this wasn't a ga anymore. Why would he get upset over spending real money on a ga version of Seria, and then seeing her here in real life?
No way. That'd be absurd.
But as the three of them moved through the town, the crowd around them suddenly grew chaotic—rushed footsteps, frantic movent.
Before they could even wonder what was going on, a middle-aged man with a large hamr stepped out from one of the buildings. Seeing their outfits, he didn't hesitate.
"You three look like adventurers. Interested in a job? A silver-haired girl nad Seria went missing outside the town. We need soone to search for her. If you find her, I'll reward you with gear or ten gold coins. Even if you don't, I'll give you two coins just for trying!"
Ryuji was stunned.
Seriously? That much of a coincidence?
Sizki imdiately stepped forward.
"Sure. We'll take the job."
"Great—hurry!"
The man—probably Linus, judging by the hamr—rushed off toward the caravan area, likely to recruit more adventurers.
Sizki turned to Ryuji.
"You've been itching for a fight anyway. I rember there are goblin dens nearby. Even if we don't find this Seria girl, I can use the opportunity to observe your combat style. That'll help tailor your training later."
Ryuji sighed. He truly hadn't expected to stumble into this kind of story event. But he just shrugged and nodded.
"Fine by ."
"Alright then. Let's move. Stay close."
Suzki took off at a sprint. Ryuji deactivated the weights on his training rings, and a wave of lightness washed over his body. He moved to follow her—but could only stare at the way her firm, springy hips bounced right in front of him, teasing him with every step.
Rosh, on the other hand, didn't even pretend to be subtle. She summoned mana beneath her feet and began hovering with a low humming sound.
Ryuji watched, deeply envious. This kind of movent required not only trendous magical power but also fine control—sothing completely beyond his reach for now.
The three of them charged into the forest. But sothing still nagged at Ryuji.
According to the ga, the one most likely to save Seria was actually the Ghost Swordsman, not any of the other classes.
That's because only the Ghost Swordsman's story featured a goblin encounter from the start.
For all the other classes, their appearances were much more ambiguous.
The Priest might be training sowhere in the western Lorien Forest, or maybe ditating in a slum.The Mage? No one had any clue where she got teleported to.The Fighter ca all the way from the far-off Eastern kingdom,And the Gunner—he literally fell from the sky. Who knew where he even landed?
Judging purely from the intro manga, the Ghost Swordsman had the highest chance of rescuing Seria.It made sense. After all, the ga's nickna was practically "Dungeon & Ghost Swordsman." Even the official artbooks made it clear—the Ghost Swordsman was the designated protagonist.
Swords and sorcery—when it cos to fantasy, the sword is almost always the main character's weapon of choice.
Throw in a tragic past, a powerful sealed force in the left arm, and the potential to lose control at any mont… That's textbook main character material.
So then… who did save Seria?
As soon as that thought crossed Ryuji's mind, an image suddenly flashed in his head—the white-haired Ghost Swordsman walking steadily toward a rchant caravan.
That jacket.That ghostly arm.That massive sword...
Wasn't that the main character?!
Wait, why the hell would the main character ditch everything just to earn so living expenses?!
"No, no... there should be a Priest protagonist, a Mage protagonist, a Fighter protagonist, and a male Gunner protagonist too. So, it's probably fine. We likely won't even run into Seria," Ryuji reassured himself.
Just as that thought finished forming, Sizki suddenly roared.
"Watch out!"
Huh?
Ryuji snapped back to reality—and the next mont, he saw them. A dozen creatures, no taller than his waist, green-skinned and reeking with a foul stench, clutching crude hamrs made from wood and bone. Goblins.
Then he saw Sizki charge forward without hesitation. She delivered a textbook front kick, slamming her foot into a goblin's throat and sending it flying. Her body spun mid-air, the kicked leg retracted swiftly as the other whipped out in a sweeping roundhouse, using the torque from her waist to knock away several goblins who had tried to flank her.
Two or three of them didn't even move after landing—clearly dead. But it was like kicking a hornet's nest. More goblins burst from the jungle. So had dodged her attacks and now ca swinging their bone hamrs, aiming for her knees.
Sizki reacted instantly—dodging mid-step and countering with a powerful punch that sent a goblin flying, its jagged teeth scattering through the air.
Ryuji didn't hesitate anymore. He didn't reach for his machine gun—no, he pulled out his single-handed sword and charged in.
The goblins weren't faster or stronger than him, but just as he lunged in for a stab, his target suddenly raised its bone club and blocked the thrust.
Ryuji was caught off guard. In the very next instant, he felt danger behind him—his instincts screaming. He twisted his head just in ti to feel sothing whizz past his ear and slam into a tree behind him, tearing off a massive chunk of bark.
"!!"
Without hesitation, Ryuji pulled out his handgun and fired. One shot blew through the goblin that blocked his strike. He spun, narrowly dodging a second flying rock, then took aim and shot down another goblin—one lugging a basket full of stones on its back.
But that wasn't the end of it. Ryuji's eyes narrowed. More goblins were erging from the brush—all carrying those stone-filled baskets.
"…Shit."
With a swift motion, he switched out his pistol. A hail of fire and bullets erupted from his gun, blasting toward the rock-throwing goblins. They barely had ti to scream before being shredded by the onslaught.
The thunderous gunfire startled Sizki for a mont—just enough for her to lose focus. A goblin's bone hamr ca crashing into her leg.
Blood imdiately spurted from the wound. Her thigh was bruised, and the hamr had punched two bloody holes in her flesh.
But Sizki didn't make a sound. She grit her teeth and responded with a single punch—snapping the goblin's neck cleanly.
Rosh arrived just in ti. With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a flurry of star-shaped magical bolts, ripping through every goblin around Sizki and reducing them to chunks of at.
"Sorry. I let my guard down," Sizki muttered.
She looked over at Rosh, bit her lip, and pulled a roll of gauze from her pocket. Tightly binding it around her thigh, she attempted to stand again and return to the fight.
But Ryuji wasn't planning to waste any more ti. He simply reloaded, turned his gun on the remaining goblins—
—and emptied another storm of bullets into them.
One by one, they fell. Slain. Nothing left but corpses on the jungle floor.
Just as Ryuji was about to help Sizki with first aid, a sudden cry pierced the air.
"Is anyone there?! Over here! Please—help !"
It was a girl's voice.
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Sizki (Image)
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Bonus chapter every 200 PS.
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