Ch. 21 Paladin Reinhardt
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 21 – Paladin Reinhardt
The next morning, Isolin and I woke up at the same time and started our morning exercises. We went out to a wide, empty field, breathed in the fresh air, and stretched our arms and legs.
“One! Two! Three!”
We had been doing these exercises for over a month, but whether they were actually making us taller was still a mystery. Our limbs, stretched out toward the vast world, were still short. Our perspective remained low, and everything in the world still seemed bigger than us.
“Exercise done!”
After finishing our exercises, it was time for breakfast. Isolin and I ran to the large pot near the village and rummaged through our inventory.
The variety of meals we could prepare wasn’t extensive. We had grilled meats, which we naturally learned to make after acquiring various types of meat, and sandwiches made with bread, vegetables, and thinly sliced ham.
Isolin and I made sandwiches and enjoyed them.
With exercises and breakfast done, all preparations were complete. We walked briskly toward the meeting point.
The mountain village was surrounded by wooden palisades much taller than me. Following the palisade, we soon arrived at a large gate.
Paladin Reinhardt was waiting for us there.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Hello!”
“Nice to meet you!”
After a brief exchange of greetings, we set off. Reinhardt began explaining what we needed to look for as we walked.
“As we walk, you’ll occasionally find traces of bears. Trees with deep claw marks, heavy footprints in the dirt, or flattened grass from something large passing by.”
“So, we need to look for those traces, right?”
“That’s correct. But what we’re looking for isn’t the trace of an ordinary bear. The fur found at the apiary was gray.”
“A gray bear…?”
“It’s also much larger than a regular bear… It’s easier to understand if you see it for yourself. Let’s go.”
Isolin and I followed Reinhardt, swallowing nervously. We thought this was a quest to track a regular bear, but it seemed we were wrong.
The tension in the air was palpable. Isolin was the first to break the silence.
“Will we be okay?”
I shifted my gaze to Reinhardt’s back. He was level 80—an incredibly high level for this area. There must be a reason the quest paired us with such a high-level NPC.
Gulp—
The once reassuring figure of Reinhardt now seemed ominous. I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Um, how strong are you, Reinhardt?”
“Hmm…”
Reinhardt hesitated, amplifying our unease. I looked up at him, hoping for reassurance. He then spoke with a confident expression.
“I’m confident I can take on a bear over 10 meters tall.”
“Can you defeat the bear with the gray fur?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
Right, who else would we trust if not him? In this world, level was the measure of strength. An 80-level monster like Reinhardt could easily take down a bear with a single strike.
I shook off my anxiety and nodded.
After the conversation, an awkward silence fell. The sounds of birds and animals echoing through the dense forest felt eerily unsettling.
The once refreshing forest now felt terrifying.
Crunch crunch—
As our feet crushed the grass and leaves beneath us, Isolin leaned in and whispered to me.
“Will we really be, okay? Are we going to get chased by a bear again? Like how we almost died to that lizard…”
“Isolin. It’ll be fine. Look at Reinhardt’s level.”
A level 80 paladin wouldn’t lose to a bear. Even I, at level 17, could hunt deer alone now. As levels increased, physical abilities improved dramatically. Maybe by level 30, I could take on a large bear by myself.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, Reinhardt, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. His gaze was fixed on a large tree—one with deep claw marks.
“Is this…?”
“Bear tracks. It seems it hunted around here.”
As Reinhardt said, the ground was stained dark red, and traces of blood were found on the nearby grass.
“Is this the gray bear’s trail?”
“No. Its traces would be much larger than this.”
Reinhardt ran his hand over the claw marks on the tree. The spacing between the claw marks was quite wide. If we were hit by such an attack, our limbs would surely be torn off.
From then on, bear tracks were frequently found. Flattened grass, footprints, and discarded bones.
It didn’t take long to find the gray bear’s trail. Its traces were beyond imagination.
“This is…”
“This is definitely the trail of the bear we’re looking for. You can tell by the gray fur left behind.”
The footprints on the ground were so large that Isolin and I could crouch and fit inside them. Even the tree with claw marks had partially broken from the impact.
“We’re almost there. Let’s keep going.”
With trembling hands, I rummaged through my inventory. When anxious, sweets are the best. I pulled out honey candy I had bought from the village apiary.
One for me, one for Isolin. I didn’t give any to Reinhardt—he was too tall for me to reach.
As we ventured deeper into the forest, the gray bear’s traces became more frequent. Finally, we arrived at a massive cave hidden among the dense trees.
“The footprints lead inside. The bear must be in there.”
Gulp—
Isolin and I flattened ourselves on the ground, barely nodding. Reinhardt looked down at us and placed his hand on his sword.
“I’ll go in first. If the bear charges out, stay still and quiet.”
“Do you need our help?”
“The cave might collapse from the fight. If the entrance really collapses, go back to the village and bring people to rescue me. That would be a great help.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Then.”
With that, Reinhardt dashed into the cave in the blink of an eye.
“Wow…”
“He’s really fast.”
“I didn’t even hear his footsteps.”
After Reinhardt entered the cave, Isolin and I had nothing to do. We lay on the ground, watching the cave or drawing on the ground.
Occasionally, we ate honey candy.
Time passed quickly. We checked the system clock, visible only to players.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes. Five minutes passed.
The cave remained eerily quiet.
“Did he die?”
I frowned at Isolin’s ominous question. Reinhardt was a level 80 paladin. He wasn’t someone who would die easily.
When ten minutes had passed, something began poking my butt from behind. It seemed Isolin was playing a prank.
I waved my hand behind me and said to Isolin.
“Isolin. Stop messing around.”
“What?”
“Well…”
I turned my head slightly to look at her. She was lying flat next to me. Physically, it was impossible for her to be poking my butt.
Then what was the sensation I felt? I waved my hand around behind me.
Thud—
(tl: he is behind isn’t he?)
My hand touched something. Something fluffy and warm.
“Ah…”
I carefully pulled my hand back and brought it forward. In my small, cute hand was a strand of gray fur. The distinct smell of a beast came with it.
Every hair on my body stood on end. I swallowed hard and spoke softly, trying not to provoke the bear behind me.
“Hey, Isolin.”
“Yeah?”
Isolin still didn’t seem to notice what was behind us. Her small head moved around, and her large pointed hat swayed.
“When I give the signal, run into the cave.”
“Into the cave?”
Isolin tilted her head, confused. At that moment, something heavy swung through the air, and Isolin’s hat was snatched away.
“Ah!”
The gray bear had grabbed Isolin’s hat. I immediately grabbed her hand and shouted.
“Run!”
If we stopped, we would die. Another deadly chase began. The moment Isolin and I got up and started running, a massive roar erupted behind us.
Roar—!
“Eeeek!”
There was no time to look back. Isolin and I sprinted toward the cave at full speed.
“Ah, Reinhardt!”
“A bear! It’s a bear! Help!”
Scream— Scream—
Our voices echoed inside the cave.
Vrslop_translator
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