Dick was not a local. In fact, his true home was still in another, distant world. He had once been an ordinary man who enjoyed gaming and writing and worked an ordinary job. After work, he liked going out for grilled skewers and drinks, or sitting at home, thinking about the woman who had dumped him twice.
More than once, he had imagined becoming a wandering hero who punished villains and protected the innocent, traveling thousands of miles alone with a zither and sword on his back. But he had never imagined that he would be like this, facing three Gnolls that had burst out of the bushes and calmly preparing to charge in and fight them head-on.
They're only Gnolls. Nothing compared to Orcs.
That was the first thought that rose in Dick's mind, and then he charged. Dawi and the militiamen followed behind him, rushing forward in a noisy mob.
As though he had rehearsed it countless times, the round wooden shield in his hand precisely blocked the wooden club a Gnoll swung down at him. The longsword in his other hand took advantage of the opening and pierced its chest. Just as the monster, slightly shorter than Dick, was about to howl, Dick lashed out with a kick to its lower abdomen.
Humans were not the only ones afraid of the pain of crushed balls. Monsters feared it too.
"Urgh..."
The swaying Gnoll squeezed out a mournful cry before a bash from the wooden shield Dick swung turned it into a limp heap on the ground.
"Don't let a single one escape!"
Dick turned and shouted at the militiamen carrying bamboo spears and hunting bows. Pulling his longsword out of the Gnoll's corpse, he lunged at the one fighting Dawi.
These monsters had humanoid bodies but savage jackal heads. Ordinary specimens had only 10-15 strength, on par with an ordinary adult human, and possessed little intelligence. As long as you stayed calm enough, you could kill them without taking a scratch. Dick's strength had already reached 20, making this a completely one-sided fight.
Oh, right. Where did those numbers, 10 and 20, come from?
Simple: Dick "saw" them with his eyes. If every transmigrator came equipped with a cheat, then this numerical view of the world was probably one of Dick's. Whenever he wished, every creature in his sight could be expressed in numbers.
For example, Dawi, who was trying to chop off a Gnoll's head to take back for credit and a reward, had the following stats:
"Davi Crawford" "Mortal" "Human Template" "Strength 17, agility 15, stamina 15, arcane power 0" "Evaluation: Weakling!"
Dick's own stats were:
"Dick Tang" "Mortal" "Human Template" "Strength 20, agility 18, stamina 25, arcane power 0" "Evaluation: Weakling!"
He surpassed Dawi in every respect. Apart from Redpath, Dick could already be considered the strongest person in Darrowshire. This was also what gave him the confidence to accept Timmy's quest. If he wanted to, he could fight three Murlocs at once without much trouble. With these hunters providing bow support, wiping out the Murloc Raiders at Blackwood Lake was unrealistic, but if they only had to rescue those children, it should not be much of a problem.
Of course, the other reason lay in the "quest"!
This did not mean an assignment handed down by Redpath, but a quest recognized by the mysterious power residing within Dick, such as the current "Timmy's Predicament." Such quests could only be stumbled upon, not sought out. From his arrival in this world until now, Dick had encountered only two. Timmy's was the third.
Why did Dick place such importance on quests? Because his 20 points of strength were a benefit those two quests had brought him.
His first quest had come when he had just awakened: "Hold Until Dawn." It was an absurd name, but the reality was cruel. He had to hold on until someone came to rescue him, or he would die.
He had forced himself to eat a venomous snake.
In the end, he had managed to hold on until he was rescued. That quest rewarded him with 3 points of strength and 2 points of agility. The second quest came when a small-time merchant in Darrowshire commissioned him to travel to Andorhal and bring back the merchant's child. Dick had been forced to fight a Ghoul head-on before rescuing the child from the ruins, earning 2 points of strength and a green-quality weapon.
It was the longsword he held in his hand. It looked unremarkable, but its sharpness far exceeded that of standard-issue weapons.
"Glimmering Longsword" "Green" "Sharpness +7, durability +7, minor armor penetration" "Evaluation: A practice piece by the most amateur of alchemists."
That was why Dick had such a good reputation in Darrowshire. He helped the common folk for free in hopes of stumbling upon another quest. Unfortunately, quests were too rare. There had been only that one in three years.
So Dick was unwilling to simply give up on Timmy's quest. Although he still did not understand what this mysterious power was or what it meant, having a little more power to protect himself was always a good thing in this world full of dangers.
Dick and Dawi lay in the bushes beside Blackwood Lake, warily studying the Murloc village not far away. These monsters had fishlike bodies and sharp teeth, used weapons, and moved like humans. They were just one of the many native creatures in this strange world. Though weak, they moved in groups, making them even more dangerous than Gnolls.
"Timmy, come here!"
Dick turned and called the skulking young troublemaker over. Somehow, the boy had found a dark Dwarven Rifle and slung it over his back. He had also put on his father's leather armor and looked quite the part, but his trembling body betrayed his fear.
"Tell me, where were you attacked?"
Dawi asked quietly. This young man was a good friend of Dick's and had loved playing with swords and spears since childhood. Not long ago, he had passed the selection to become a squire in the Order of the Silver Hand. This was his last assignment in Darrowshire.
"Right around here, sir!"
Timmy lay flat on the ground and stealthily studied the Murloc Raiders moving back and forth nearby. Half a minute later, he spoke excitedly to Dick.
"Sir! That purple-skinned Murloc was the one who took Aruf! I saw it clearly!"
"Hmm?"
At Timmy's words, Dick narrowed his eyes and looked carefully. Sure enough, in the fairly small Murloc village, a large purple-skinned Murloc was swaggering back and forth with a rusty harpoon raised, occasionally letting out an ugly bellow.
"The children should be held in this village!"
Dawi spoke gravely. "But I remember there are two other Murloc villages nearby. If we can't finish the fight quickly, we could very well draw in more Murlocs. We have too few men."
Dick was about to speak when Timmy suddenly screamed. Startled, Dawi reached out and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Boy, you nearly got us killed!"
Dawi pinned Timmy to the ground and cursed, "Have you gone mad?"
"Let him go, Dawi. I don't think we have much time left to discuss this! Look!"
Dick pushed Dawi's hand aside and pointed at the noisy Murloc village. His voice sank as he drew his longsword.
"Those Murlocs are going to eat that child!"
Dawi turned to look and saw the other Murlocs, under the purple-skinned one's direction, dragging a crying child out of a hole in the ground. Beside them, water was heating in a battered large pot. These monsters were about to have lunch.
"Dawi, give me your shield!"
Dick reached out and took Dawi's shield. It was one of the few refined iron shields in Darrowshire, with a crude Lordaeron Crest engraved on its black face. The craftsmanship was mediocre, but it was thick and durable.
Dick secured the shield to his left arm and told Dawi,
"I'll draw the Murlocs' attention. You and Timmy rescue the children. When we pull out, tell the militiamen not to spare their arrows. Suppress those Murlocs as quickly as possible. Once you've got the children, we retreat! Understood?"
"Understood! You... be careful!"
Dawi glanced at Dick. He did not know just how strong this quiet sheriff was, but Redpath had said that Dick had once been one of the finest soldiers in Lordaeron's army. He was the only one here capable of taking on the crucial task of drawing the Murlocs' attention.
"I'm going in!"
Dick held out a fist and smiled at Dawi. Dawi paused. Though no newcomer to battle, he was still nervous before a fight. Seeing Dick's smile, he froze for a moment, then grinned broadly and held out his own fist to bump against Dick's.
"Whew!"
Dick rose from the bushes, sprinted a few steps, and tucked his whole body behind the shield. He struck it with his longsword, producing a series of clear clangs. This was a standard defensive stance, as well as a method human troops used to taunt their opponents.
The noise made the reveling Murlocs pause. Then the largest, purple-skinned Murloc reacted first, waving his harpoon and letting out an ugly bellow.
"Ula gwakwa haha lala!!"
The next second, the Murlocs recovered and charged at Dick. The sight of more than twenty Murlocs charging together was quite impressive, but these creatures, only half the height of an ordinary person, were hardly intimidating to Dick.
In his eyes, their stats were downright pitiful.
"Murloc" "Humanoid" "Strength 12, agility 14, stamina 10, arcane power 0" "Evaluation: U"
Bang!
Dick mercilessly smashed his shield onto the head of the first Murloc to charge him. Its outrageously ugly face caved in on the spot, splashing foul-smelling green blood all over him. Dick ignored it, holding the shield on his left arm in front of him to block the blows of five crude stone axes.
The combined impact forced him back a step. At the same moment, the longsword in his right hand counterattacked. One slash across the throat, and another Murloc fell to the ground.
"Hah!"
Dick kicked out, sending a Murloc that had tried to chop at his legs flying. Then he swung his right arm in an enormous sweeping arc, forcing back the Murlocs that had already surrounded him.
The big purple-skinned one also gripped his harpoon in both hands and roughly shoved the other Murlocs aside to stand before Dick. But Dick ignored him. Out of the corner of his eye, he had already seen Dawi and Timmy leading two militiamen into the deserted Murloc village. Now he needed to buy them time.
"Ula gwakwa haha lala!!"
The purple-skinned Murloc roared in a language none of them understood and thrust his harpoon at Dick with both hands. But the utterly untrained thrust failed to touch even the hem of Dick's clothes before the heavy shield blocked it.
Bang!
The blow left Dick's left arm somewhat numb. His body, previously planted in the ground like a wooden stake, lurched sideways, and he nearly fell. After regaining his footing, he stared at the purple Murloc in surprise.
This guy is strong!