Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The journey was incredibly smooth. There had been no monster attacks, nor any appearances from thieves.

The passengers in the cart changed frequently. Some got off halfway to take a different road, while others boarded along the way.

With these incessant meetings and farewells, it became a challenge to remember the names of all those who boarded the cart.

We traveled across snow-covered plains and rode through the cold, frozen forest paths.

The horses pulling the cart showed no signs of fatigue, maintaining a steady pace throughout the lengthy journey.

A week, two weeks. Time passed quickly.

The scenery began to change. The snow that blanketed the world started to fade away, replaced by vast fields glowing with sunset hues.

We must have arrived at a place with a relatively warmer climate.

I leaned out of the cart to gaze blankly at the surrounding landscape.

The breeze was exceptionally gentle, filled with the scent of wet earth.

“Wow…”

I let out a blank gasp of admiration. As the sun began to set beyond the mountains, it painted the wide expanse of the fields in golden light.

The shimmering waves of gold quickly vanished.

The sunset-lit world began to be painted by darkness.

Replaced by the brilliant sunlight was the soft glow of the moon, with tiny stars sparkling around it, asserting their presence.

It felt as if I were closer to the sky.

The cart came to a halt late in the evening.

We began to prepare for camping in the middle of the vast, open fields.

With the chill having disappeared, I no longer needed to bundle myself up tightly.

I shoved the hood I was wearing into my bag.

Crackle-crackle!

With a crackling bonfire in front of us, everyone began to have dinner.

The food that could be packed for such a long journey was limited.

Most of the passengers in the cart were munching on dried bread or jerky.

As the gentle wind passed, time seemed to flow.

Suddenly, two men stood up from their spots and moved a little away from the campsite.

Everyone’s eyes turned to focus on that unexpected behavior.

I looked at the two men as well.

The two men standing face to face were adventurers, and they pointed their swords at each other.

The bonfire cast a bright light, elongating their shadows.

There was no special signal. The two men began to swing their swords at one another.

Their movements were light, smooth, and slow.

It seemed they had started their duel after a conversation to test each other’s skills.

The long, cold blades reflected the moonlight as they lightly clashed.

Both men relaxed their arms, resulting in a subdued sound of metal colliding.

The duel did not last long. It ended with the man on the right declared the victor.

The man on the left, gasping for breath, sighed heavily before returning to his original spot.

Adventurers tend to be spontaneous. After watching the duel, fired up, other adventurers began to test their skills against one another.

The calm night was filled with sharp sounds of metal ringing across the moonlit field.

Adventurers had no hesitation in testing each other’s skills, treating victory and defeat lightly.

That’s why they constantly swapped opponents and swung their weapons.

I, too, clutched my sword and observed the others.

Being a swordsman myself, I wanted to test my skills against the others.

However, no one approached me readily.

Just as I was about to let out a sigh and lie down, I felt a strong gaze from afar.

At the same time, the wind direction shifted dramatically, blowing my hair in the opposite way.

The breeze coming from the other side carried the distinct smell of beasts.

Rustle-rustle!

From the wave-like grass, numerous shadows sprang out.

They had bodies coiled tightly and two legs firm on the ground, with a prominent snout that was quite striking.

They looked like a mix of goblins and rats.

Interestingly, it seemed they could wield tools, as they held crude spears and rusty blades in their hands.

“[Kii-heeek!]”

“It’s Kobolds!”

It was the scream of an adventurer that burst out like a shout.

Just in time, the adventurers who were swinging their weapons for a duel could react promptly to the kobold attack.

Cheers and the sharp sounds of metal echoed around, and the smell of iron-laden blood spread through the air.

I, like the other adventurers, drew my sword and charged at the kobolds.

The rusty weapons and long spears were quite bothersome, but they were not difficult enough to tackle.

I dodged the long spear and closed the distance to swing my sword at the kobold.

Slash!

Drawing a moonlit arc, my strike cleaved deeply into the kobold’s chest.

The kobold, with gaping wounds, collapsed while spilling blood.

“[Kii-heeek!]”

“[Kick! Kii-heeek!]”

The kobolds moved systematically. They targeted the adventurers who resisted with their weapons, aiming to restrain them as much as possible, while the others charged towards regular travelers and the cart.

Just as I was about to rush in swiftly, a sudden loud shout erupted as a massive axe swung toward the approaching kobolds.

“Graaaah!”

It was the hybrid orc Agul’s attack.

He spun that giant axe like a windmill.

Combined with the length of the axe and tremendous strength, it created a fearsome whirlwind that obliterated everything in its path.

I turned my attention back to the kobold right in front of me.

Had they underestimated me, seeing me as someone of similar size?

The number of kobolds approaching me seemed to be much more than the other adventurers.

I moved forward, swinging my sword.

The moment the tip of my sword beheaded a kobold’s neck, another one lunged at me.

Ignoring that attack, I swung my sword at the other one.

Slash!

The kobold’s flimsy gear could not pierce through my ogre-skin armor.

As the rusty sword attacking my side got caught on the armor, a look of surprise crossed the kobold’s face.

I swung my sword once more, smashing the creature’s head down.

Thud!

As my companions fell quickly, the kobolds began to turn and flee.

They tossed their weapons aside and scurried away on all fours.

It was not just the kobold that had been fighting me who fled. All the kobolds encircling the cart hurriedly retreated.

In an instant, the fleeing kobolds disappeared into the bushes.

“Haah… Haah…”

I gasped for breath.

It was a brief battle that didn’t even require the use of magic.

There were no casualties. Most I lost were a few small pouches of food.

*

Though there had been a kobold attack the previous day, when morning came, the cart began to move as if nothing had happened.

I perched at the end of the cart, swinging my legs back and forth.

The cart’s rattling and the fresh breeze blew my golden hair about.

After about three more days of travel, the cart finally arrived at the destination, the Hairan Plateau.

Rumbling down the bumpy road, the cart came to a stop at the way station.

“Arrival!”

As the cart stopped, the adventurers exchanged light greetings before dispersing in all directions.

Having repeated meetings and farewells, I had also become accustomed to the ways of the adventurers.

“Hmm…”

It seemed the name of Hairan Plateau was derived from the name of this city.

The city’s name was Hairan.

As I walked through the city, I unfolded my adventurer’s guidebook.

There was a short description about the Hairan Plateau written inside.

Hairan Plateau.

A place where the legend of the Thunderbird is passed down.

The Hairan Plateau is located close to the sky and is celebrated as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world.

The horses born in this plateau are called Hairan horses, renowned for their sturdiness and speed compared to horses from other regions, and their temperament is fierce, often resisting human contact.

If luck is on your side, you might be chosen by a horse and find a companion to share your life with.

Thus, many knights and adventurers flock to this place.

Horses, huh…

I imagined myself riding a magnificent horse.

If I had one horse that moved solely for me, I could go wherever I wanted.

But rather than acquiring a horse, I wanted to first secure an inn and relieve my fatigue.

I quickly walked into a suitable inn to book a room.

My tired body, worn out from the long journey, collapsed onto the bed at once.

*

The following morning.

After having breakfast at the inn, I headed to the horse market to check out the horses.

As written in the adventurer’s guidebook, it was a renowned area for horses, so the scale of the horse market was considerable.

“Oh…”

The sight of the massive stable and knights loitering in front of it was striking.

I navigated through the crowd, peering at the large horses.

“Is this horse’s bloodline reliable?”

“Absolutely.”

“Hmm…”

At the first stable I approached, a merchant and a knight were engaged in conversation.

Listening closely, it appeared the knight was looking to purchase a horse.

He held a faded piece of paper, sighing heavily.

Curiously peering closer, I noticed the paper read [Bloodline Certification].

“Is it confirmed to be a third-generation horse?”

“Can’t you tell by this mane? This stiff mane is proof that it’s a descendant of Hairan.”

However, the knight shook his head and moved elsewhere.

It seemed he wasn’t pleased with the horse the merchant was selling.

Left behind, the merchant frowned as he watched the knight walk away.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

“What does a third-generation horse mean?”

“What? Are you here with your parents?”

“No, I came alone.”

The merchant sighed upon hearing my answer, slumping into a nearby wooden chair.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what Hairan horses are?”

“Isn’t it the horses of this region?”

Taking out a cigarette from his pocket, the merchant began to ramble on, likely out of boredom from having no customers.

According to him, purebred Hairan horses were so fierce that they couldn’t be tamed by humans.

Thus, the main source of income at this horse market was breeding them with other horses to create gentler horses for sale.

“Where can I see a purebred Hairan horse?”

“You can’t see them here.”

“Oh, really?”

“You’d have to go far over to the Thunderbird Mountain Range to see them.”

At that moment, another customer approached.

The seated merchant tossed his cigarette to the ground and warmly greeted the new customer.