CH 58

Arrival

Clang.

The sounds of metal echoed through the desert night.

“Tsk.”

I tried to target the cracks between the shell, but it was not going well.

They were about 1.5 meters long as they scurried across the sand. They had large pincers and a stinger that looked incredibly poisonous. The six legs that supported them allowed them to move swiftly.

Sand Scorpions were among the most deadly of enemies that appeared in the desert during the night.

My trump card magic, ‘Light,’ was somewhat useful in keeping them at bay. But not enough to give me an opening. I suppose it wasn’t too effective against scorpions.

To make matters worse, the smooth, soft sand made it difficult to move. It released the power of the spring in my prosthetic leg as well, which made fighting a pain.

“Hyaaah!!”

With no other option, I began to swing my sword wildly. And then I realized that this brute force approach seemed to work better here.

As for my prosthetic leg, I just needed to apply more pressure than what escaped, and it would be fine. However, I couldn’t do that when I was in a waiting stance. If anything, it was better for me to move forward. Of course, that used up more energy.

On hard ground, I could not adjust the angle without an ankle, and I had no heel to dig into the dirt. However, as it would bury in the desert sand, I could dig the prosthetic leg into the sand at an angle, which made it easier to hold my ground.

I swept aside the Sand Scorpion’s pincer, and then slashed downwards towards the joint, cutting through it.

Even the stinger, which had troubled me so much at first, now felt like an opportunity, whenever it prepared to attack.

I blocked the tail with my blade, and then stepped to the side with the severed pincer and thrust the sword into the sand underneath it.

“ARGHH!”

And with all my might, I flipped it over onto its back. In spite of their power, they were not very heavy.

Now that the soft underside was exposed, I pierced what I assumed was the neck, and then cut open the stomach.

When I looked around me, I saw that the other monsters had been dealt with as well.

“Good work.”

“Aye, it helped.”

I called to the other Adventurer guards of the caravan.

After acquiring some new equipment and preparing in Rimeton, I continued on with the caravan to the mining city of Rokuidol.

It was to take four days one way, and we were currently on the third day.

As for why we were fighting at night, it wasn’t because our camp had been attacked. It was because we traveled by night. It was so hot during the days that it was best to rest in the tents. So day and night were reversed on this journey.

If that was the case, then changing my equipment might seem unnecessary, but there were still battles during the day, and so you could not take off your armor and sleep. Besides, there was also the danger of getting a heat stroke.

I did not want to be someone who came to another world and then died from a heat stroke. And I was not going to take any chances.

As for my newly acquired equipment, there was leather armor that was plated with Killer Scorpion, which was stronger than a Sand Scorpion. It was very light, and the air would pass through, which kept you cool. However, it was a little chilly during the night.

And so I had to keep a light cape on, which I removed during fights. Once the season changed a little, I might wear something a little thicker under the armor.

Along with the gauntlets and greaves, the full set cost me eighteen pieces of gold, which was more than half of my entire fortune. However, you could not put a price on a life. Besides, it was nearly fifty percent cheaper than buying it in Razsita. The materials were much cheaper when they weren’t imported.

The Sand Scorpions were loaded onto the backs of the Grand Lizards then. Mine looked rather annoyed as I climbed onto its back. Sorry.

What surprised me later, was how tasty these Sand Scorpions were. Apparently, they were quite popular. As the eastern sky was starting to turn red, I would have to eat my breakfast? before getting some sleep.

The sight of the sun rising in a vast desert was immensely beautiful, but there was no time to take it all in. I had to help the caravan with pitching the tents.

The tents were very sturdy, with wooden frames under the canvas. And the carpets inside were folded upwards about thirty centimeters in order to keep out any sand, bugs or snakes.

“There, it’s ready.”

In the meantime, the Sand Scorpions were being cooked by the other members of the caravan.

Back in Japan, I never would have thought of eating such a thing. But then again, we were talking about a 1.5 meter scorpion monster. It was an entirely different thing, in my opinion.

At the very least, once it had all been carved up, it did not look like anything but meat. And it tasted like it as well. As for the outer shell, stinger and pincers, those were stashed away. They should sell at a decent price.

Even though the tents were pitched in the valley between sand dunes, once the sun rose, they would not be in shadow for long.

We took turns keeping watch while the others slept. A special place with a roof for shade was set up. And since we all took turns, it was only about two hours at most.

Not only that, but the view was so beautiful during the day, that the only thing bad about it was the heat and the sand.

Many of the monsters in the desert detected their prey through sounds and vibrations from movement. And so as long as you stood still in one place, you were not likely to be attacked.

And so the day passed by uneventfully, and when the sun set, it was time to set out once again.

If everything went as planned, we would arrive in the mining city of Rokuidol today. Now that I thought about it this was the first time I had been on a journey of this length. It made me feel a little emotional to think that it was about to end.

“Up ahead! Sand Scorpions!”

However, just as I was about to bask in sentimentality, some monsters came and ruined it.

I left the Sand Scorpions to the Adventurers in the lead, and instead guarded the surrounding area as I took off my cape.

“Behind us! A snake!”

Came a shout from behind me. When I turned around, I saw something swimming in the sand. It was thin and long. About 4 meters. It had shark-like fins and a tail.

“That’s a snake?”

I couldn’t help but mutter as I unsheathed my sword and moved towards it.

“It’s a Desert Winder! It can jump!”

Someone else shouted. It jumps too?

True to those words, without losing any momentum from its swim, the Death Winder leapt out of the sand.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Shooting into the air like that just made you an easy target.

And so I swung my sword downwards towards it. However, the Death Winder moved with shocking agility while in the air, dodging the attack and then lashing out at me with its tail.

“Gah!”

I was hit directly and thrown off my feet so that I rolled across the sand. My mouth was full of sand. I suppose it was me who had underestimated it!

However, thanks to my new armor and the soft sand, there was little damage.

I quickly got back to my feet and raised my head, just as it opened its mouth and tried to bite me.

“Woah!”

It really did have the head of a snake!

I ducked out of the way as the body shot over my head.

And then I swung my sword with one hand, feeling it hit something hard but light. The Desert Winder fell to the ground. While it was bleeding, my posture had been bad, and there was little strength in my attack. So it was not deep.

“Shaaaaa!”

The snake hissed angrily as it coiled up, preparing to attack. Damn it. It was like my prosthetic left. I could not let it charge for an attack.

While getting up, I stepped forward and swung horizontally with my sword, slashing it open just as it tried to strike.

“Phew. Ptui-ptui.”

After confirming that it was not moving, I sighed with relief and spit out the sand.

“Nicely done.”

Said the captain of the caravan from behind me.

“What kind of materials can you get from this thing?”

“Ah, I have heard that you can dry their fins to make a nice soup.”

“And you still call this thing a snake!”

The captain looked a little puzzled by this, and so I left him as I carved away the fins and magic stone, and stuffed them into my bag. I left the rest.

It would probably lure other monsters. Or at the very least, some desert slimes would rise out of the sand and eat it.

After that, there were a few other monster attacks, but none of them were able to get past the defense of Adventurer guards.

And just as we were about halfway through the night, I saw, from atop a sand dune, the rocky mountains that signaled the end of the desert. And the lights of a city in the middle. We were finally able to see it.

I couldn’t help but make a tight fist.

“That’s…”

The captain replied.

“Yes. The mining city of Rokuidol. The city or iron and blood.”