In the game, you'd usually find him bickering with his sister, Camilla, about a stolen Golden Claw the moment you stepped into the shop. For now, it seemed she was away.
"So, you're saying I just need to find that claw in Bleak Falls Barrow?"
I pretended to listen to Lucan's explanation and asked once more to confirm.
"Yes, exactly!"
Tu-dun!
[The Golden Claw Started!]
ㄴ Retrieve the Golden Claw and return it to Lucan Valerius.
Reward upon success: 1 Perk Point, +10 to a chosen stat.
"Eh?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Ah… no, it's nothing."
I was so startled by the quest window suddenly popping up in front of my eyes that an odd sound slipped out. This had never happened once since I arrived in this world.
It wasn't like I'd sat on my hands while living as a Courier. I'd tried to get involved in the game's quests before, but no quest window had ever appeared. Since Skyrim is full of tedious, repetitive chores, I'd figured it was better to just hunt or deliver mail to make gold and gain experience. I'd stopped caring about the actual game quests entirely.
But this changed everything. If I could use this, I could grow strong fast.
I wasn't sure if it was because I'd made contact with the Protagonist or because we were technically in a party now, but one thing was certain: the reward was incredibly generous.
A Perk Point and 10 stat points? That was equivalent to an entire level-up.
'I have to finish this, no matter what.'
"I'll take responsibility for this. I'll make sure to bring it back," I said firmly.
"Oh! Thank you so much, truly!"
"By the way, did you ask anyone else for help with this?"
"No. No one but you, Mister."
'Perfect. No competitors means the reward is as good as mine.'
"Also, there are a few things I need to buy…"
Having accepted the job, I bought some supplies and potions to prepare for the ancient tomb and left the trader's shop.
My next order of business was the famous Faendal. This guy was popular because you could recruit him as a follower early on after a simple quest, and you could pay him for Archery training only to take the gold back from his inventory—a classic exploit.
Even better, he was currently fighting with another local lad named Sven over a girl. You could choose which one's romance to support through a quest, but since Sven was useless in the game, most players helped Faendal.
'Hmm, the sun's already down.'
I'd planned to deliver the letter and get some Archery training while I was in Riverwood, but it was getting too late. I'd have to push it back. Since I had to head into a labyrinth filled with traps and monsters tomorrow, I needed to keep myself in top condition.
I dragged my exhausted body back to the inn and entered my room. I was beat. I'd ridden from Solitude to Whiterun without rest, then spent the afternoon sprinting up a mountain after the Dragonborn. Fatigue had settled deep in my bones.
I threw myself onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.
— Cock-a-doodle-doo!
"Yawn…"
The next morning, I woke to a rooster crowing outside the window of the neighboring house and gave a long, satisfying stretch. Once I was fully prepped for the expedition, I knocked on Choi Ha-neul's door.
"Are you ready? Let's get moving."
A moment later, I heard something crash inside the room before she answered.
"Uh… just a second!"
'She was definitely still sleeping.'
I was glad she'd gotten enough rest. After about three minutes, the door opened and she stepped out.
"Sorry for making you wait. Let's head out!"
"By the way, did you eat breakfast?"
"Hehe, not yet."
I hadn't eaten either.
"Let's grab some food first. My treat."
"No, that's okay! I can pay…"
"Don't argue, just eat. Oh, and this is your share from selling the loot from those bandits yesterday."
I handed over the gold I'd earned by selling the gear we'd stripped from the bandits. I wanted to treat the future savior of the world to breakfast to cheer her up, but she insisted on paying her own way. Eventually, I just ordered some simple fare from Orgnar and sat down.
Choi Ha-neul and I sat facing each other at the table in silence. I didn't have much to say, so I just sat there with my arms crossed.
**
'This is so awkward…'
Choi Ha-neul stole a glance at the man who had suddenly become her companion and muttered to herself. Based on his actions so far, he was clearly a good person, but facing him one-on-one left her with no words and plenty of discomfort.
She wondered if she'd made the right call by impulsively asking a stranger to come along. She knew she was fairly strong, but the thought of entering a terrifying place like a tomb alone had actually scared her. That fear had made the suggestion tumble out of her mouth before she could think.
'He's my companion now, I should say something…'
After a long struggle, she asked softly, "Mister… what's your name?"
"Uh…? My name?"
Naturally, the character I'd possessed had a name. But since I'd been called 'Courier' or 'Mister' the entire time I'd been here, I'd actually forgotten my real name in this world.
"Skalbart. That's my name."
I made up something that sounded believable for a Nord.
"Oh—that's a pretty cool name."
"Speaking of names, yours is quite unusual. Which province are you from?"
"Wh-what?! Oh, well… I'll tell you later! Haha!"
I deliberately threw a difficult question at her, knowing she lacked knowledge of Skyrim, to end the conversation. If this kept going, she might realize I wasn't a native of this world. I didn't know enough about the Protagonist yet to reveal my identity so carelessly.
Awkward silence fell again until the food arrived, and we both wolfed it down.
**
After finishing our meal, we headed back toward the barrow we'd visited yesterday. Since I primarily used a bow, we settled into a formation where she led the way and I followed.
I watched her back as she walked, deep in thought again.
'I wonder if the Protagonist sees a quest window like I do? When should I tell her that I was transmigrated here?'
Judging by her strength yesterday, she wasn't just relying on being a Dragonborn.
'Alright, I'll tell her after we clear the tomb.'
"We're here!"
Lost in my thoughts, we'd already reached the entrance.
"There are lots of bandits and monsters inside, so stay alert. They'll be tougher than the ones yesterday."
"Right! I'll keep that in mind!"
I took a deep breath and followed Choi Ha-neul as she cautiously pushed open the barrow doors. I braced myself; I knew this place was a meat grinder.
Sure enough, as soon as the doors swung open, I saw bandits camping out in the distance.
— Schwing.
Choi Ha-neul drew a steel axe from her hip. I held out my arm to stop her as she tried to sneak toward them. She looked at me, her eyes asking why I was blocking her.
I motioned for her to wait, nocked an arrow, and pulled back the bowstring. To be honest, my archery skills were only slightly above average, but hitting a stationary target wasn't that hard.
There were only two bandits at the camp, so a frontal assault would have been fine, but…
'Better to take one out first and stay safe.'
I aimed for the one who looked smaller and weaker. I targeted the back of his neck while he was staring blankly at the crackling campfire. I released.
— Whiz! Thwack!
"Gah!"
The bandit moved at the last second, so the arrow buried itself in his back shoulder instead of his neck. Still, the damage was significant enough to send him collapsing to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
"Who's there?!"
Startled by the ambush, the other bandit grabbed a massive two-handed greatsword resting by the firewood. Choi Ha-neul didn't miss a beat and charged toward him.
The guy with the greatsword utilized his superior reach, swinging the heavy blade with all his might to keep her back. He was a big brute, looked like he could take a punch, and seemed fairly strong. Realizing a close-quarters struggle might be tricky, Choi Ha-neul backed off a step and focused Magicka into her free hand.
"RAAAUGH!"
Flames flickered in her palm. Seeing that she was about to launch a spell, the bandit lunged forward to close the gap and strike her down.
"I don't think so."
I immediately fired a suppressive shot. The bandit had impressive reflexes and dodged the arrow aimed between his eyes, but that split second was all Choi Ha-neul needed.
The spell was fully charged, and the bandit was engulfed in searing fire.
"AAAAGH!!"
Despite taking a direct hit from the Flames spell, the bandit endured—he either had high health or strong magic resistance. But Ha-neul was already swinging her axe. The bandit tried to muster his remaining strength to block, but his charred body was full of openings.
"Ugh…"
The axe buried itself in his neck, and he dropped dead on the spot.
"Phew…"
Choi Ha-neul took a ragged breath after finishing the last bandit.
"You alright?"
"Yes… I'm fine."
She still had the sensibilities of a modern person; she looked visibly upset after taking a life. I'd had that same repulsion initially, but whoever dragged me here must have done something to me—I could feel my combat jitters and moral hesitations fading faster and faster with every fight.
After looting anything valuable, we headed down a flight of stairs behind the campsite, venturing deeper into the barrow. As we continued our descent, I spotted a book resting on an old stone table.
"The Thief?"
"There's a book here. Do you know it?"
"Ah—yeah, I read this a long time ago."
The Thief was a skill book found on the path down into Bleak Falls Barrow. Reading it would increase your Pickpocket skill by 1. These skill books were scattered all over Skyrim, though unfortunately, I couldn't remember every single location.
My Pickpocket skill was currently at the base value of 15.
'I'd prefer not to commit crimes like pickpocketing, but I should read it just in case.'
Raising skill levels also contributed to overall leveling, so I decided to check it out.
'Wait, why isn't it working?'
I opened the book and skimmed through it, but nothing changed. 'I guess I actually have to take my time and read the whole thing properly. How annoying.'
I was about to shove the book into my backpack to read later when Choi Ha-neul stopped suddenly. I bumped right into her back.
"What's up? Oh."
The path was blocked by an iron gate. Above it was a stone relief depicting a snake, a whale, and an eagle.
"Ugh. The path is blocked. What do we do?"
"Luckily, I know the answer to this one."
"Really?"
It wasn't a difficult puzzle. You just had to rotate the stone pillars on the left wall to match the order of the animal symbols above the iron gate.
"Hnnngh! Gack!"
But the stone was heavy and wouldn't budge easily. In the game, a single click of a button would have done it, but in reality, it wasn't going my way. Seeing my struggle, Choi Ha-neul offered to help.
"Should I help you?"
"Wheeze… Would you?"
With her help, the stone pillars finally began to turn, and we aligned them with the symbols above the gate. Once finished, I checked them several times to ensure they weren't wrong. If you messed up the sequence, poison darts would fly out from every direction.
"Alright. Now, if I just pull this lever…"
— Cre-e-e-eak.
Fortunately, the iron gate opened without incident. However, beyond the gate, a faint humanoid silhouette was visible.
— Grrrrr-klllkt…
The noise we'd made had awakened an 'ancient existence' slumbering within the tomb.
Gulp.
Sensing that I was finally face-to-face with the thing I'd worried about most, I swallowed hard.