How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game

“Monster?”

Karl tilted his head at the unexpected word.

“You mean a monster, literally?”

“Yes. But not just any ordinary monster—it's an unbelievably huge lizard. Though to be honest, I'm not even sure it is a lizard.”

Jeep furrowed his brows as if recalling the sight.

“Anyway, at some point, that monster took over the forest and made it its territory. The fact that we can’t hunt properly anymore is a problem, but the bigger issue is that it sometimes comes down near the village and devours people.”

“Hmm... sounds serious.”

“Six people are already dead, so yeah, the village atmosphere isn’t great.”

“Shouldn’t you ask the lord for help? Or maybe hire some mercenaries?”

Jeep nodded.

“One of the young men from the village went to the lord’s castle. He might’ve returned by now with soldiers... but honestly, I’m skeptical. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing soldiers or mercenaries can handle.”

As if there was no point in saying more, Jeep fell silent after that.

Karl didn’t ask further questions and just thought to himself.

‘An unbelievably huge lizard monster, huh.’

A few things came to mind.

Before getting stuck in the game, he’d already completed all the endings for every class except the mage.

He might not be familiar with all the intricate worldbuilding details, but his knowledge in this particular area was pretty damn extensive.

Though there was one issue—each class in the game had a slightly different timeline in its background lore.

It was entirely possible that the monster Jeep mentioned was some completely new type that hadn’t appeared before.

‘I’m kinda curious... but let’s not get involved.’

Leveling up was great and all, but there was no reason to risk his neck against something he had zero intel on.

Sure, Jeep had helped him a lot, but not to the point Karl owed him his life.

Jeep poked at the campfire and said,

“If you’re done eating, you’d better get some rest. We’ll have to leave at first light to make it before nightfall.”

* * *

They arrived at the village exactly when Jeep had predicted.

As dusk bathed the sky in twilight, the view of the village slowly came into sight.

“Oh, Jeep! You’re back?”

A middle-aged man sitting near the village path stood up and greeted Jeep.

“You’re a bit late this time. Did things not go well with the merchants?”

Jeep shook his head.

“Got a good price.”

“That’s a relief. Those hides were top quality—enough to make the traders’ eyes pop out. Not that I was ever worried you’d get swindled or anything... But who's this young man?”

The man’s gaze shifted toward the side.

Karl dismounted and replied,

“I’m Karl. Just a traveler.”

Jeep added,

“He wanted to stay in the village for a day, so I traveled with him from Reuben.”

“Is that so? Well, welcome. No one here’s really wary of outsiders, so stay as comfortably as you like.”

The middle-aged man had a faint shadow on his face as he spoke—probably because of the monster Jeep had mentioned.

“Did Tom return?”

As they walked into the village, Jeep asked the man.

He shook his head.

“Not yet. Everyone's been waiting with their necks stretched out.”

“...It is a long way to the lord’s castle, but it should’ve been enough time to come back.”

“Exactly. I’m starting to worry he ran into bandits on the way. Even if he couldn’t bring any soldiers, I just hope he made it back in one piece...”

Karl recalled yesterday’s conversation and followed along with their talk.

Tom must’ve been the one sent to request the lord’s help in dealing with the monster.

Karl nodded slightly as he thought.

‘Will the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) lord actually be willing to dispatch troops?’

Considering the way these noble bastards thought in this world, he was doubtful.

Of course, he had no idea what kind of person the local lord actually was.

The middle-aged man looked at Karl, who was silently trailing behind, and said,

“First, leave your horse at the stable and head to the inn.”

“Ah, yes.”

“And whatever you do, don’t order the potato soup if you’re planning to eat. It’s really awful. I don’t like badmouthing locals in front of outsiders, but that one’s non-negotiable, ha ha.”

They were chatting casually when—

“Chief!”

The middle-aged man turned his head at the call.

Wait—he was the village chief?

Karl glanced at the man, then turned his head toward the voice.

A villager was beaming brightly and pointing back down the road.

“Tom’s back! Not just with soldiers, he brought a knight with him too!”

The chief’s eyes widened like lanterns.

“Jeep, you handle showing this friend around.”

With that, the chief ran off toward the village entrance with the villager.

Karl turned to Jeep and said,

“Looks like the lord actually agreed to send troops. If there’s a knight, then maybe they really can take care of the monster.”

A knight.

Superhumans with physical prowess beyond human limits.

If anyone could slay a monster with just a sword and divine-like power, it would be one of them.

But Jeep still had a lukewarm expression.

“Let’s hope they can.”

They left their horses at the stable and made their way to the village inn.

Apparently, Jeep planned to eat there too.

“Oh! Jeep, mister!”

Just as they sat at a table in the corner, a girl came running out from the kitchen and greeted him.

“You just got back? Did you sell the hides for a good price?”

“Yeah.”

“Ugh, boring! Don’t give me one-word answers—tell me more. Hmm, but who’s this person...?”

Karl answered,

“Just someone staying for a day.”

“Ah~, got it. Then I guess I’ll have to squeeze everything I can out of you while you’re here. Do you drink? Our inn’s raspberry wine is seriously one-of-a-kind...”

Her nonstop chatter was barely interrupted as Karl finally cut in,

“Anything but the potato soup. Bring something hearty. I’ll pay—Jeep helped me a lot.”

“Ugh, who keeps spreading the soup rumor? And drinks?”

“Yeah, a glass for each of us.”

She nodded and darted back into the kitchen.

Jeep said,

“That’s Camilla, the innkeeper’s daughter. She’s always like that. Don’t mind her comment about squeezing you dry.”

“Yeah, seems like it. The village atmosphere doesn’t seem that bad though. Didn’t you say it was grim?”

“They’re just pretending to be cheerful.”

Before long, plates began to fill the table.

Wine, bread, and a modest spread of meats made for a hearty feast.

“But it’s kind of noisy outside, isn’t it? Did something happen?”

Camilla asked, and Jeep replied,

“Tom just came back with the soldiers.”

“...R-Really?! Are you serious?”

“Go look outside if you don’t believe me.”

Camilla, who seemed like she’d been under serious stress, let out a long sigh of relief.

“Thank god... Now we don’t have to worry about that damn lizard showing up anymore.”

She paused mid-sentence.

“Wait, if all those soldiers came, they’re going to stay at the inn tonight, right?”

“Of course.”

“Ah, damn. It’s gonna get so busy. Where the heck is Dad? I need to tell him right—”

SLAM!

Just then, the sound grew louder, and the inn door burst open as a group stepped inside.

Dozens of soldiers, armed and armored.

At the front stood Camilla’s father, Chad.

“You can rest easy here tonight, good soldiers.”

“Oh, nice. This place looks better than I expected!”

The soldiers laughed raucously and sat down wherever they pleased.

Camilla approached Chad and asked,

“Dad, these people...”

“Yeah, they’re the ones who came to slay the monster. It’s already dark, so they’ll stay here tonight. Don’t charge them for food—the chief said he’d collect money later to cover it.”

And just like that, the inn turned into a chaotic drinking den as the soldiers started partying.

“Kehaha! So then I said—!!”

“What?! Pwahaha! You dumb bastard!”

Karl grimaced as he scanned the room.

Jeep didn’t look pleased either.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Of course, they couldn’t exactly complain to the people who came to slay the monster.

“But where’s the knight? I thought one came too.”

“Watch your mouth—someone might hear you. The noble sir was probably invited to the chief’s home.”

Karl nodded and quietly continued eating.

The soldiers were being so loud it was hard to have any kind of conversation with Jeep.

Eventually, once the meal was over, Karl stood up from his seat.

“I’ll head up first. What about you, Jeep?”

“I’ll stay a bit longer. Drink alone for a while.”

He said that while glancing back and forth between the soldiers and Camilla.

Karl picked up on it right away.

He didn’t actually plan to drink alone—he was probably worried the drunk soldiers would try something.

“Ugh, for fuck’s sake. I can hear everything even up here.”

Karl grumbled as he stepped into his room on the inn’s second floor.

Well, what did he expect from a rural village inn?

With floors that creaked with every step, it’d be more surprising if the place had any soundproofing at all.

He had just taken off his robe and was about to lie down to rest when—

“Let go, let go! I said let go of me...!!”

Camilla’s voice rose from downstairs.

Karl let out a sigh and muttered,

“Fucking knew it.”

Mercenaries or soldiers—it didn’t matter.

Wherever those two breeds of assholes gathered in numbers, trouble followed. And if they were drunk? Even worse.

Karl gave up on removing his robe and headed back down.

And just as he’d pictured in his head—he saw exactly that scene, down to the last detail.

“You piece of shit—this is way out of line!”

A soldier gripping Camilla’s wrist and refusing to let go.

The others snickering around him.

“We came all the way out here to slay that terrifying monster, and what? You can’t even pour us a single drink?!”

“Yeah! Stop playing hard to get and sit down! Drink with us! Puhaha!”

The soldiers were getting rowdier, and Camilla flinched like she was scared.

Then—

“That’s enough.”

The soldier turned his head.

“What, who the fuck are you?”

He frowned as he saw Jeep now standing next to him.

“No one asked you to pour a drink, old man. Get lost.”

“I said that’s enough.”

“The fuck did you say to me, you bastard? You ordering me around?”

Wham!

Jeep stumbled backward from a sudden punch.

The soldier who’d thrown the punch scrunched his face in annoyance.

“Oh? Still standing? Guess I’ll just keep beating the shit out of y—GAH!!”

BANG!

With a loud crash, the soldier was flung across the room and slammed into the wall.

The other soldiers sprang to their feet in shock.

“Wh-what the hell?!”

“That would be me, assholes.”

All eyes turned to Karl descending the stairs.

Camilla and Jeep stared at him in disbelief.

Karl looked at them for a second, then gave the soldiers a sweeping glance and said, like he was disgusted,

“You think slaying a monster makes you hot shit?”

“......”

“That’s just your job, you dumb fucks. You’ve been mooching off the local taxpayers with your monthly salaries—this is the least you’re supposed to be doing.”

One soldier, dumbstruck, reflexively raised his weapon.

BANG!

Of course, like the last guy, he got sent flying with a single gesture from Karl.

“S-s-stop! Please, stop!”

One of the soldiers finally stepped forward and yelled.

Karl snorted.

“Why? I just got started.”

“W-we’re soldiers under the great Count Gaylord...!!”

“So? If you don’t want to end up plastered on a wall too, shut the fuck up. Or better yet—should I start twisting off limbs for variety?”

The threat in Karl’s voice made the soldiers shrink back.

He’d been annoyed for a while now from all the noise, and now that they’d stepped in it, he fully intended to let loose.

Just then, another soldier stepped forward.

“Sir Mage, we were in the wrong. Let’s just end this here.”

Karl looked at him.

The soldier continued in a calm, lowered voice.

“If you push this any further, it’ll only backfire on you.”

“Oh yeah? You think so?”

“I do. There’s not just us soldiers here—there’s a knight, too. Do you really think you can handle all that on your own?”

Karl said nothing, and the soldier took it as a good sign. He smirked slightly.

“And judging by your presence here, you must be from the Paltone School... If word of this gets to the Count, how do you think things will turn out for you? I guarantee you—you’ll be in deeper shit than us. This whole situation only puts you at a disadvantage. Let’s just settle this peacefully.”

Paltone School, huh.

Must be one of the lesser magic factions within this count’s domain—not one of the major ones, clearly.

How pathetic that a lowly grunt like this felt confident enough to run his mouth with such a weak-ass threat.

Karl reached into his inventory and tossed his ID at the soldier.

This was exactly the kind of situation it was meant for.

“What the hell is—?”

Startled by the object that materialized midair, the soldier caught it and took a look—

—and his eyes went wide.

His face went pale, and his hands started trembling as he stammered out,

“A-a-Altius... Hrk!”

He collapsed to his knees as the strength drained from his legs.

Karl bared his teeth in a vicious grin.

“Go ahead. Say what you just said again.”

“S-sorry! I’m so sorry, sir mage!”

“‘Sir mage’? Wasn’t it just ‘mister mage’ a second ago? Come on, man, pick a lane.”

The rest of the soldiers, finally realizing what they were dealing with, turned ghostly pale.

Karl turned to one of them.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes? Yes, sir!”

“Go fetch your knight. Let’s see who’s really got the upper hand here. Sound good?”

“N-no, it’s just...”

“You’re not gonna go? Fine. Maybe after I slap a few more of you into the walls, someone’ll get the idea. Hm?”

Just as Karl was about to resume the beatdown—

BANG!

The inn door slammed open and a villager burst in, his face white as a sheet.

“M-m-monster! The monster has appeared!”