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009 First
Monster
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Translator : PolterGlast
Slap, slap. The soles
of sandals slapped against the stone floor. Anneliese was wearing sandals. I
regretted not buying her boots, even though I didn't intend for her to fight.
"I'll handle the
combat, Anneliese. Just tell me anything you notice about my fighting
style."
"Understood."
Still, it was my first
battle, so I decided to prioritize safety.
I quickly equipped my
Mithril Two-Handed Sword and Steel Breastplate.
"Eh?"
Anneliese let out a
small sound, so I tilted my head, wondering what was wrong.
"Master, your
equipment... how did you do that?"
"How? With Quick
Equip, of course."
"Quick Equip?
What is that?"
Could it be that she
didn't know about Quick Equip? Someone as high-leveled as Anneliese? Oh, right,
Quick Equip can only be used with the Item Box, so she wouldn't know.
"Quick Equip is a
function that comes with the Item Box, I guess. If you set things there, you
can equip them instantly."
"I didn't know
the Item Box had such a function..."
She looked very
puzzled, but since it was a skill Anneliese didn't possess, she seemed to force
herself to accept it.
"Also... that
sword, is it perhaps Mithril?"
"Oh, you can
tell? It's a good sword, isn't it?"
"Master, are you
a noble?"
"Hm? No, I'm just
a commoner. I don't even know any nobles."
In fact, my only
acquaintances in this world were probably Anneliese, Golteo-san, and
Ruineza-san. Whether I'd call the innkeeper, Explorer's Guild employees, or
stall owners "acquaintances" is debatable.
"Mithril swords
are rarely found. I believe they are strong, but possessing one might invite
envy."
"Is that
so?"
"Yes."
So Mithril equipment
is dangerous, huh? Still, not using it is out of the question. You never know
what might happen in a dangerous place like a dungeon, so it's only natural to
take the maximum safety margin.
We continued deeper
into the dungeon. The first intersection was a crossroads.
"Which way should
we go?"
"To the left,
there are more monsters. Straight ahead, not so many. To the right, about half
of what's on the left."
How does she know?
"How are you
doing that?"
"I'm manipulating
my magic power, extending it around to sense the reactions of monsters and
explorers."
"So, Magic Power
Manipulation, or Magic Sense, then?"
"It's Magic
Sense."
"Can you detect
traps with Magic Sense too?"
"Yes."
Apparently, traps
contain magic power, and you can detect them using Magic Sense.
【Job】Mage Lv21
【Skills】Fire Magic (Medium), Null Magic (Medium), Magic Power Manipulation
(Medium), Magic Sense (Medium), Magic Power Boost (Medium)
These were Anneliese's
job and skills.
I had seen the
statuses of various people in town, but only a few had levels exceeding 20.
Some people were even
Villager Lv25, but I think that's beside the point. Only three people surpassed
Level 20 as Swordsmen, Lancers, or Mages. I hadn't seen all explorers, but it
might be a world where leveling up is difficult.
Also, skill
proficiency of (Medium) was only seen in people over Level 20. Detailed
Appraisal also stated that it's difficult to raise it above (High), so in a
sense, reaching (Medium) might be close to the highest proficiency.
"Let's go to the
right."
"Yes."
Japanese people like
the middle, you know.
After walking a bit,
Anneliese grabbed my arm.
"What's wrong?"
Was she tired?
"There's a
monster."
It was dim, so I
couldn't see the monster with my eyes.
"How far away is
it?"
"About 30 people
away."
What kind of distance
is that? Does this world actually measure length in such units?
"About 30 people,
like 30 people lying down lined-up?"
"...Yes."
She looked at me as if
I was saying something crazy.
People's heights vary;
30 people who are 150 centimeters tall and 30 people who are 200 centimeters
tall would have a 15-meter difference. What's the standard height?
By the way, I'm
currently about 155 centimeters tall. I've shrunk quite a bit. That's why I
only get mistaken for a girl.
Anneliese is about 160
centimeters. She's a bit hunched, but taller than me.
Anyway, if it's 30
people, it should be at most 60 meters, and at a short estimate, around 50
meters.
We walked a little
further and saw a black mass on the passageway.
"It's a Grey
Rat."
It was a gray rat
about 50 centimeters long. Including its long tail, it was about a meter. Its
ominously glowing red eyes emanated madness.
Grey Rat Lv1
HP = 68
MP = 24
STR = 9
VIT = 8
AGI = 11
INT = 2
MIN = 4
DEX = 6
ATK = 27
DEF = 24
MATK = 6
MDEF = 12
When it was about 10
meters away, the Grey Rat scurried toward me. It was quite fast!
My legs trembled with
fear. But I had killed bandits, so I convinced myself I could do it and
overwrote the fear with courage.
"Hyaaah!"
I swung down my
Mithril Two-Handed Sword at the leaping Grey Rat. It was just a swing, no
technique whatsoever, but the Mithril Two-Handed Sword sliced the Grey Rat in
half.
"Oh...
ooooh..."
I felt no sensation of
cutting the Grey Rat. It was the same with the bandits. It just felt like I was
swinging the Mithril Two-Handed Sword.
This was the power of
the Mithril Two-Handed Sword, I realized, gripping its hilt tightly.
"Congratulations
on your first monster subjugation."
Anneliese picked
something up from the ground and said that.
"The drop item is
rat meat."
While I was overcome
with emotion, the Grey Rat had apparently vanished, leaving behind an item.
Feeling drained after
seeing the rat meat, I sat down on the spot.
"Hah. That was
scary."
"Everyone is like
that at first."
"Were you scared
at first too, Anneliese?"
"Of course. My
legs trembled with fear, and I couldn't move."
So even a Level 21
Mage had a time like that.
Fortunately, I didn't
vomit. Perhaps I was a little used to it from the bandit subjugation, or
because monsters don't leave corpses. Still, I was extremely fatigued, and the
hand holding the Mithril Two-Handed Sword was trembling.
"Everyone is like
this at first, but you should swing your sword with less tension in your
shoulders."
"I-I see... I'll
keep that in mind."
Anneliese apparently
used a sword before becoming a Mage. She became an explorer at Villager Lv4,
changed to a Swordsman at Villager Lv8, and then found a grimoire and changed
to a Mage at Swordsman Lv13. So using a sword is second nature to her, and my
movements must look like a novice's.
But the drop item is
rat meat, huh? I've eaten meat several times since coming to this world, but it
wasn't this rat meat, was it? It didn't taste particularly bad, but thinking of
it as rat meat, I might not be able to eat it in the future.
No, I'll stop thinking
about it. And from now on, I won't ask what kind of meat it is when I eat it.
"This rat meat
drops in large quantities. The meat in your inn's breakfast is also this rat
meat."
Whoa! Why would you
say that? I liked that breakfast! From now on, I'll stick to fish...
Anneliese extended her
hand. She probably meant for me to grab it and stand up. Grabbing it is fine,
but if I put my weight on her, Anneliese might fall too.
I stood up on my own
and thanked her. Anneliese looked sad. It's definitely not about the meat,
okay? I was being considerate.
"Let's keep
going. Sorry, but put the drop items in this bag."
"Yes."
I handed her a cloth
bag. If it gets heavy, I can put it in my Item Box and give her an empty one.
Next, another Grey Rat
Lv1 appeared. The booklet I bought at the guild also stated that only Grey Rats
appear on the first floor. However, they can range from Level 1 to 3.
The Grey Rat's
characteristic is a biting attack from its fast movements. It doesn't use any
special attacks, so it seems to be a good monster for getting used to combat.
"Hmph!"
I swung my Mithril
Two-Handed Sword through, and the Grey Rat disintegrated like bursting blocks,
leaving behind rat meat.
So this is the effect.
I hadn't seen it disappear during the tension of the first battle, so it was a
fresh sight.
"Your shoulders
are still tense."
"Really? I'll be
careful."
Anneliese picked up
the rat meat and put it in the cloth bag while giving me advice. This kind of
thing is hard to notice on your own, so it's helpful when someone tells you.
The third one was also
a Grey Rat Lv1. I defeated it in one hit thanks to the overwhelming attack
power of the Mithril Two-Handed Sword. I had enough leeway to swing my sword
and try to correct my form after Anneliese's advice.
The Grey Rat's
movements are fast, but if I look carefully, I can react. Since the Mithril
Two-Handed Sword is a one-hit kill if it connects, I just need to hit it.
Thinking that, I tried to relax my shoulders.
I was advised for the
fourth one as well, but when I defeated the fifth, Anneliese stopped giving
advice.
Before I forgot this
feeling, I defeated the sixth. No advice.
I was getting into the
rhythm. I kept going further to engrain this feeling into my body.
Then the seventh. It
was a Grey Rat Lv2, my first time seeing one.
Grey Rat Lv2
HP = 76
MP = 24
STR = 10
VIT = 9
AGI = 12
INT = 2
MIN = 4
DEX = 7
ATK = 30
DEF = 27
MATK = 6
MDEF = 12
Compared to Level 1,
everything except INT and MIN was higher. STR, VIT, AGI, and DEX were each 1
point higher, and ATK and DEF were each 3 points higher.
At this time, I underestimated
this level of ability difference. That led to my carelessness.
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