The Wandering Knight of Greece - Chapter 1

Regret is too late.

It took me a few mistakes before I learned that terrible lesson. Looking back on it now, there were many chances I didn’t get stuck in this fucking gutter.

For example, watching the medieval fantasy game ‘Tragodia RPG’ based on Greco-Roman mythology on YouTube, buying the game after watching a gorgeous video, thinking it was a game of life, and choosing an article without telling others to do it.

I always regret that choice, but at the time, I just hit the start button in a fit of euphoria.

I didn’t know that the game of life would become my life.

Greco Roman Mythology

This grand mythology, which had left a massive mark on European history, was more familiar to Alonso as a children’s comic book.

When he first encountered mythology through comics as an elementary school student, there was no story more entertaining for him. The tales of gods, heroes, and monsters were so captivating that he could still vaguely recall parts of them even decades later, as an adult.

He remembered being scolded by his father for spending an entire vacation rereading the series, being told to stop reading comics. However, Alonso thought he had done well to ignore that reprimand.

After all, if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have acquired even the minimal knowledge needed to survive in this shitty world.

Huff

With a short exhale, Alonso pulled his longsword from the monster’s head. A creature that didn’t exist on the original Earth he knew, but could occasionally be found in the murky swamps of this fantasy game’s Grecian world: a Lamia. A female monster with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake.

The adventurer’s guild’s request form hadn’t mentioned any special precautions other than its characteristic of luring victims with a song. Yet, it had unexpectedly spat venom, nearly sending him across the River Styx.
Wiping the venom off his sword and armor with a rag, Alonso grumbled softly.

“That damn overly friendly request nearly got me killed.”

“Did the comics ever depict Lamia spitting poison? I don’t think so…”

Recalling the comic, whose cover he could barely remember now, Alonso wasn’t sure if the comic was wrong or if his memory was faulty. His memory wasn’t so excellent as to memorize every detail of every minor monster.

Perhaps the game developers had arbitrarily altered the setting, Alonso thought. Actually, that was more likely than the former. Wasn’t this a stupid game that forcefully crammed ancient BC Greek Roman mythology into a medieval fantasy setting? With all sorts of historical distortions already incorporated by the game company, a single monster’s setting could easily have been changed.

“I should have read the wiki more thoroughly before starting the game.”

Alonso scoffed inwardly, finding his situation comical, where his life depended on every bit of information. “Damn it, why did I start this game?” It had been a year since he fell into this game world in the body of a newly created game character, and not a single day had passed without regretting that decision.

This world, devoid of cola, flush toilets, and the internet, was too dreadful for a modern man to live in.

It was a barbaric era where legendary monsters and divine beings roamed freely, and human life was worth less than an insect’s. If it weren’t for the basic armor, longsword, and level-up system provided upon character creation, Alonso would have long become a monster’s meal.

“…This monster hunting gig is no job for a human, I always think.”

Alonso cut off the Lamia’s head with a worn dagger and stuffed it into a sack. He needed it as proof of completing the subjugation request. The monster’s thick blood pooled at the bottom of the sack, seeping through the fabric and dripping down.

Alonso carefully secured the sack, worth five silver coins. The sum would briefly reside in his thin purse before disappearing as four days’ worth of food and lodging expenses.

“So, I managed to survive another day.”

Monster hunting. This was what Alonso had been doing in this world for the past year. Handling small requests from the adventurer’s guild, accumulating money and experience, while absolutely avoiding the main storyline. Unlike other classes that could use flashy spells and special abilities, the knight class had no decent active skills. So, during the early stages, when enemies were weak, he had to build up his pure skills, taking advantage of the superior initial stats compared to other classes. As the game’s story progressed, the enemies would acquire even more bizarre supernatural abilities.

However, despite his year-long desperate effort to transform from a modern man into a medieval knight, the imitation wasn’t perfect yet. Thanks to the basic equipment like armor, a horse, and a longsword, he could maintain the appearance of a wandering knight, but Alonso’s mind and spirit were still those of a modern man accustomed to modern conveniences.

“When will I get used to this medieval role-playing?” Posing this unanswered question, Alonso tilted his water skin and washed his dirty hands. As he toiled away earning money, he craved chicken and cola today. He almost preferred his days working at the company. Even though he was constantly berated by his boss, at least he could earn money sitting comfortably…

***

The rooster crowed.

The next morning, after sleeping like the dead and waking up, Alonso sat cross-legged in his inn room and meditated. It was his daily routine to start the day.

His mind shifted its focus to the mindscape. As he closed his eyes and concentrated, a vast universe unfolded before him, displaying constellations against the backdrop of the night sky. Clear proof that this world was a game: the status window.

“No matter how many times I see it, it really looks exactly like a game interface. Why is this fantastical thing inside my head…” Alonso muttered to himself, disgruntled. Annoyingly, this status window could only be accessed through a certain period of mental concentration. It was the game developers’ measure to prevent cheating, like suddenly changing stats during combat, applied directly to reality.

As befitting a game inspired by Greek Roman mythology, the level-up system was also related to constellations. Each level-up granted stat points and filled up starlight. When a certain level was reached, the star would fully bloom, allowing the selection of a new trait. Or, in special cases, like through enlightenment from training or defeating boss monsters, new traits could be acquired.

“Lucky me,” Alonso muttered. He’d unlocked a trait slot after killing the Lamia yesterday, having fulfilled some conditions.

「New Star Selectable」

「Poison Resistance Beginner」

Poison Resistance. It seemed like a hidden trait unlocked after defeating the Lamia. Based on yesterday’s experience fighting the Lamia, he felt that he would definitely need this kind of trait to face countless monsters in the future.

Alonso selected the trait and connected it to the constellation in his mindscape. As the existing stars and the new star linked, a new passive skill settled within him.

“It’ll be quite reliable once the proficiency increases. But when will I get active skills? This trashy class…”

After finishing the trivial task of allocating stat points, Alonso opened his eyes. He was in a good mood from the morning, thanks to the excellent gains from just killing one monster. Moreover, the most important reward, the material one, still remained, and that excited him.

After a simple meal, he left the inn. The salty sea breeze welcomed him, and the bustling cityscape unfolded before him.

The port city of Corinth. A polis, a city-state, where three trade routes intersected, it was always bustling with the sounds of people. And correspondingly, there were plenty of jobs.

Seagulls flew around, occasionally pecking at fallen grains. Sailors busily loaded and unloaded cargo from ships, and merchants were busy haggling prices with customers.

Observing the lively scene, Alonso headed towards the adventurer’s guild with the blood-dried sack. The adventurer’s guild was Corinth’s public office responsible for all monster-related matters.

Pushing through the noisy merchants and adventurers in front of the bulletin board, Alonso approached the receptionist.

“Is the guild master in? I’ve completed a request.”

“Ah, the one who visited a few days ago…”

Recognizing Alonso, the receptionist immediately guided him to the guild master. Knock, knock. A voice from inside told them to enter. The man who had been rummaging through a pile of documents looked up and greeted his guest.

“Ah, Sir Alonso. What brings you here?”

Despite having met only once, Guild Master Simonides remembered Alonso’s name and face. The request Alonso had taken was a notorious one that several parties had failed to complete.

Alonso imitated the tone of a knight and replied, “I’ve come for the reward. Under the blessings of the Olympian gods, my blade has slain the Lamia.”

“Already?”

Simonides sounded doubtful, as if he couldn’t believe Alonso’s words. It had only been two days since he took the request.

Alonso shrugged and handed the sack to the staff member, suggesting he check it. At the guild master’s gesture, the staff member pulled the head out of the sack.

A woman’s face, frozen in her last living expression, emerged from the sack. The face of someone who hadn’t foreseen her death.

Simonides opened the corpse’s mouth and checked for the long, snake-like forked tongue. It matched the Lamia’s characteristics.

“…Indeed. She’s been a nuisance for a month now. I thought it would take at least a week…” Looking back at Alonso, Simonides’s eyes were filled with admiration for his efficiency. Taking the promised bag of silver coins from a drawer, he offered his thanks.

“Thank you for resolving Corinth’s troublesome matter. We’ve been getting constant complaints from the merchants. She’s been hiding along the roads where carriages pass, ambushing lagging horses and coachmen. A cunning creature… When we sent soldiers, knowing she was outnumbered, she hid herself well. How did you manage to catch her?”

Alonso suppressed the urge to check if the number of silver coins was correct. Knights, who lived and died by honor, shouldn’t be concerned with such petty money matters. Instead, he pocketed the money bag and imagined how a real knight would respond.

Not a fake knight like him, but a true knight born and raised in this world. Alonso acted out that ideal.

“By the grace of Olympus. Without the help of the celestial gods, it would have been difficult to defeat the monster unscathed.”

“You are deeply pious. The qualities of an honorable knight. Isn’t it the first virtue taught in knighthood?”

Simonides nodded with admiration and a pleased expression, but Alonso, who had just spouted insincere words, was indifferent and only wanted to leave this place quickly.

“I’m not even a real knight, so what do I care about knighthood? It’s enough that I got the money.” Alonso nodded vaguely at Simonides’s nonsense and tried to leave the room. Then, the guild master’s words stopped him in his tracks.

“Wait, Sir. Would you be interested in taking another request?”

“Another one?”

“I need a skilled monster hunter like you. Also, the reward is generous. A whopping thirty silver coins.”

Thirty silver coins. An amount hard to ignore reached Alonso’s ears, who had been about to dismiss Simonides’s words. Considering that one silver coin in this era was equivalent to a skilled blacksmith’s daily wage, it meant he could earn a month’s salary with one request.

And in Alonso’s experience, such lucrative requests were rare.

“…The size of the reward is usually proportional to the difficulty…”

“It’s not a difficult task. It’s just a request to subjugate a monster settlement near the castle. Of course, you won’t be going alone. Corinthian soldiers will accompany you. It’s a subjugation conducted in conjunction with military training.”

Due to their abnormally high reproduction rate, or perhaps a game mechanic called “respawn,” the monster population in monster settlements would increase dramatically if left unchecked for a few months.

Therefore, kings mobilized soldiers to periodically cleanse the areas around the polis, because leaving the monsters unchecked would interrupt merchant traffic, reducing tax revenue. Another reason was that an excessive number of monsters posed a threat to the castle’s safety.

It was a request where he could safely gain experience points and earn a hefty sum of silver, with little risk, especially since he would be moving with the army, minimizing the chance of being defeated by mere mobs. There was no reason to refuse this offer. Alonso, who had planned to relax for a while with the reward from defeating Lamia, changed his mind.

“Bringing peace by slaying monsters is a knight’s sacred duty, so I will gladly lend a hand.”

“Oh, you are a true example of a splendid knight! Good. Then I’ll send a messenger to the commander. Go out the east gate when Helios’s chariot is overhead at noon today and join the army.”

“Who should I look for there?”

“Look for Jason, King Creon’s son-in-law and the rightful heir to the throne of Corinth. The hero of the Argo will be commanding this subjugation.”

“…Jason.”

As he was seen off by Guild Master Simonides, Alonso struggled to keep his expression neutral. Jason. The Jason he knew.

There was no anticipation of meeting a legendary hero. He only sensed that his original plan to level up safely while avoiding dangerous situations had been derailed.