CHAPTER 2 FIRST, TO SURVIVE
When Marin sorted through these memories, he couldn't help but feel incredibly frustrated with the intelligence of his predecessor, the younger Marin—why would a heavily armored knight chase after a deer? Even light cavalry would struggle with that. It was truly foolish...
Suddenly, Marin thought—could it be that this guy swapped souls with me from the 21st century? The thought sent a shiver down his spine...
If such a dim-witted person had crossed over into his former body in the 21st century, wouldn't he be easily swindled out of everything, even his underwear, in a world full of con artists?
However, when he thought about it, there was no point in worrying now. He could no longer return, and what did the body of Marin from the 21st century have to do with his current self?
As for his parents back in the future, Marin wasn't too concerned. After all, he had an older brother and sister. Thanks to his parents' rural background and their refusal to adhere to the one-child policy, they had three children in quick succession. Otherwise, if he were their only child and something happened to him, they would be devastated, with no one left to care for them in their old age. Of course, his parents would undoubtedly be heartbroken, as rural people often cherish their youngest children the most.
Just as he was thinking, another wave of hunger hit him. Marin finally remembered—this body hadn't eaten for more than two days...
Struggling to stand, Marin looked around the grassy area where he had fallen and saw his long and cumbersome knight's lance, as well as his foolish warhorse grazing leisurely not far away...
This horse, named Karl, was selected by old Hoffman specifically for Marin from a young age. Since he was 13, the original Marin had fed, mucked out, and groomed this horse daily, building a bond over three years.
So, after the original Marin had fainted and fallen, Karl didn't wander off but stopped to graze right there...
The horse could eat grass to stave off hunger, but a human couldn't. With hunger making his vision blurry, Marin first had to deal with the challenge of finding food...
At this moment, he was still wearing a 15-kilogram breastplate and helmet—the best the Hoffman family could afford. After all, the Hoffman family was also very poor, with only one complete set of Gothic plate armor, which old Hoffman and Adler took turns wearing. Additionally, there was a Gothic breastplate and helmet without pants or boots. As for Karl, he didn't have an iron horse armor but rather a simple wooden one painted black to resemble the real thing. However, this wooden armor could still offer some protection against light attacks, which was better than nothing.
The hunger gnawed at Marin's nerves, reminding him that he needed to eat...
But where could he find something to eat now? Marin was at a loss. His new body hadn't eaten for two days, and while he had inherited the riding and combat skills of the original owner, his modern knowledge of martial arts and combat techniques made him quite formidable. But without food, he had no strength. At this point, even an ordinary strong man could probably take him down...
"Should I kill the horse for food?" Marin looked at Karl, who was still leisurely grazing...
Karl seemed to sense something and glanced at Marin.
"No, no, I'm a wandering knight now. What kind of knight would I be without a horse?" After all, in the Middle Ages, knights considered their warhorses almost like a second life. So, both killing the horse and selling it like Qin Qiong did were out of the question.
"But I'm really hungry!" Marin was on the verge of tears.
Watching Karl contentedly eating grass, Marin licked his lips:
"Maybe I can eat some grass to stave off hunger..."
Recalling how modern special forces in survival training would eat almost anything, and often raw, Marin resolutely decided to challenge himself!
He then walked up to Karl...and started competing with the horse for grass...
Why was he eating grass with a horse? Because the books said that horses are very picky herbivores. They usually only eat tender, juicy grass, rejecting anything less tasty if they aren't too hungry.
Seeing Karl enjoying the grass so much, Marin figured that patch of grass must be delicious. Then, with Karl staring at him in bewilderment, Marin pulled out a few unchewed blades of grass from Karl's mouth and stuffed them into his own...
"Ugh—this is awful...you stupid horse, why do you enjoy this so much?" Marin was furious, glaring at Karl, who snorted and continued to eat unperturbed.
The grass might have been tasty to a herbivore, but as for humans—who in their right mind would eat grass?
No matter what kind of grass, it all had a bitter taste. As soon as Marin swallowed the grass, a bitter flavor filled his mouth. It was like chewing on water-soaked green tea leaves.
After spitting out the grass, Marin remembered that during the Long March, the Red Army supposedly survived by eating tree bark and roots, with no mention of eating grass leaves. So, he switched to pulling up grass roots and started eating them.
The roots tasted better than the leaves, with less of the unpleasant flavor. The green leaves were the source of the bitterness, while the roots had none of that. Marin ate a lot of roots in one go. Then, he took out a copper pot, filled it with water from a nearby stream, and drank it.
After resting for a while, and with the energy from the food, Marin finally regained some strength. He began considering his next steps for survival.
Whether it was the former Marin the knight or the modern Marin, both were principled people. So, following the path of corrupt wandering knights and resorting to robbery was something Marin refused to do. Therefore, he had two choices—either hunt to survive or return to Hoffman Manor for help.
However, Marin was a bit afraid that old Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman would notice he was a fraud and report him to the church, which could get him burned alive. In those days, the church didn't need much evidence to burn people alive; mere suspicion was enough. So, after much thought, hunting for survival seemed to be the only option.
In fact, there was a third option. For instance, he could seek service under a great lord. But the 16-year-old Marin was still growing and didn't appear particularly tall or strong. His current height was just over 1.7 meters, which was above average for the common people of that era, but among German knights, he seemed small and frail. In this era, ordinary people were generally short due to poor nutrition, but the children of knightly families, well-nourished from a young age and blessed with good genes, usually grew quite tall.
The great nobles loved to flaunt, often surrounded by tall, muscular men. With his current physique, it was unlikely anyone would choose him. Perhaps only the emperor, desperate to recruit mercenaries, might take Marin in. After all, Marin came from a knightly family, and his combat skills were far superior to those of common mercenaries from the lower classes.
Ultimately, Marin decided—he would survive by hunting along the way, earning enough food and travel expenses to reach Vienna and seek service under the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. At this time, the Italian Wars had already begun, and the struggle between the Holy Roman Empire and France in Italy was about to unfold. So, there was a good chance that Marin could use his modern knowledge of military techniques to stand out, and perhaps even earn himself a noble title...