Chapter 1: Transference, and Becoming an Adventurer – 04
It was now the morning of the third day in this other world.
As usual, I had breakfast first thing in the morning and headed towards the training grounds I had used yesterday.
Feeling invigorated at the start of the day, I decided to test my strength by striking a thick tree trunk with my mace. To my surprise, I managed to gouge out about half of it.
There was no doubt that this was beyond the power of an ordinary human. Realizing that this was the strength of an adventurer who had undergone an Awakening made me understand why adventurers were tasked with monster hunting. Although I still didn’t know much about how formidable monsters truly were.
Well then, today I would aim to increase my skills by one level each, just like yesterday.
With that in mind, I went through my training routine, which included running, dashing, jumping, and practicing my swings.
By the time lunch had passed, I had managed to raise all the skills I acquired yesterday by one level, except for Presence Detection… It felt a bit too easy to level up. The guide hadn’t mentioned how often skills would increase. Perhaps I should ask a senior adventurer about it later. I wasn’t sure if they would be willing to share their knowledge, though.
Finally, I ventured deeper into the forest to train my Presence Detection skill.
This skill seemed to extend beyond the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, and touch—integrating them into a single perception. It likely allowed me to sense slight changes in the environment and vaguely detect the positions of animals nearby.
I could feel an ambiguous awareness of something lurking a few meters ahead.
Hmm, there’s something on the ground about five meters away. It feels long and slender, so it’s probably a snake.
Up in the trees, I spotted a small creature, perhaps a squirrel like the one I saw yesterday. As I approached, it leaped to another tree and scurried away.
Twenty meters ahead, I sensed a larger creature… about the size of a dog… a wild boar, or perhaps a wild dog!?
Before I could even think, it let out a sharp, guttural roar and charged through the underbrush towards me.
It looked somewhat like a dog, but its body proportions were slightly off. Its upper body was well-developed, and the fangs protruding from its mouth pointed upwards.
That was definitely one of those monsters mentioned in the guide—the Boar Wolf.
I needed to escape to the trees… Damn it, my legs felt like lead and wouldn’t move.
The Boar Wolf was right in front of me. I had no choice but to confront it. I raised my buckler and lowered my stance.
“Graaah!”
At the moment of impact, I thrust my left hand forward with the buckler while simultaneously jabbing with my mace.
There was no finesse to my attack; it felt like I was just wildly pushing the monster away.
A tremendous shock hit my left side.
Thanks to my shove, I managed to avoid a direct hit, but I was still sent flying about two meters.
My vision swayed, but I knew I couldn’t afford to lie down. I quickly got back on my feet, and there it was—the Boar Wolf, right in front of me.
Instinctively, I swung my mace at its side.
I felt a heavy impact near the tip, and at the same time, a shrill scream echoed through the air.
Looking closely, I saw that the area around the Boar Wolf’s eyes had been gouged. It seemed I had landed a lucky hit.
The Boar Wolf stumbled, and as it began to thrash about wildly, I swung my mace down at it.
Hitting a moving target was surprisingly difficult. However, with each swing, I felt my mind becoming clearer.
That’s right. Stay calm, stay calm… Observe the monster’s movements. Don’t aim for a vital spot right away. Start with its legs.
It was a strange sensation. I had never struck a living creature before, yet here I was, maintaining my composure in such a situation.
I swung my mace horizontally, shattering the Boar Wolf’s front leg.
Then, I brought the mace down onto its head. The creature twitched violently for a moment before going completely still, as if its batteries had run out.
“Did I… do it?”
I knelt down, using my mace as a makeshift staff to support myself.
The Boar Wolf lay motionless. It seemed I had indeed defeated it.
“Wasn’t it said that monsters don’t appear around here…?”
I recalled reading that in the guide. It stated that monsters only appeared within dungeons. That was precisely why I had chosen to train in this area.
“Ugh… it hurts… This is bad.”
The outer side of my left thigh had been deeply lacerated. It seemed the fangs had caught me during the collision.
I pulled out my water flask from my backpack and washed the wound.
“Right… I can use a potion…”
I remembered that I had bought two potions earlier that morning, following the advice of a young man.
I took one out, uncorked it, and poured the contents over the wound. That’s how the old shopkeeper had instructed me to use it.
“It stings…”
I wondered just how effective this potion was when I noticed the wound closing up as if rewinding a video. It felt like a magical elixir. In less than a minute, aside from the tear in my slacks, my leg was completely healed.
“Phew, that was a lifesaver.”
I sat down on the ground, catching my breath.
Looking at the Boar Wolf again, I realized just how large it was. It was about the size of a large dog. I couldn’t believe I had fought and defeated such a creature.
“Now, if I’ve defeated a monster outside the dungeon, I need to take it back with me.”
I slowly recalled what I needed to do next.
When a monster is defeated inside a dungeon, it disappears, leaving behind only some materials. It’s as if the dungeon absorbs it.
However, if a monster is defeated outside the dungeon—what you might call the field in a game—the entire corpse remains.
There are various uses for a monster’s corpse, but that also means I have to carry it back.
After resting for about five minutes, I stood up and attempted to lift the Boar Wolf.
It looked like it weighed close to a hundred kilograms, but I hardly felt its weight. This was likely due to my enhanced body from the Awakening and my Strength skill.
“Is this going to be my first job as an adventurer?”
With that thought, I began walking towards the town of Tolson.
As I entered the Adventurers’ Guild while carrying the Boar Wolf, the receptionist’s eyes widened in surprise, and she guided me to a place called the dissection area at the back of the guild.
The townsfolk also looked astonished at the sight of me, indicating that it was indeed rare for monsters to appear in the field around here.
So why was there a dissection area…? When I asked the receptionist, she replied, “It’s not that they never appear,” suggesting that I had simply been unlucky.
“Um, it was Okuno, right? Our staff will handle the dissection, so please wait a moment. Here’s your number tag; don’t lose it.”
After placing the Boar Wolf on the dissection table, the receptionist handed me a wooden board.
“Excuse me, could you tell me how this specimen will be handled?”
“Oh, certainly. Our staff will dissect this Boar Wolf. It has many usable parts, and we’ll assess the condition of each material to determine the price, which we’ll then use to buy it from you. We’ll also deduct a portion for the loan you took out the other day.”
“I see. By the way, how much do you think it will be worth?”
“Hmm, let’s see… The Boar Wolf should be worth around 700,000 Rom.”
“That’s quite a sum.”
I had borrowed 300,000 Rom (Rom being the currency unit in this country) the other day. The conversion felt almost equivalent to Japanese yen.
I wasn’t sure how much a wild boar would cost in Japan, but 700,000 seemed like a decent amount.
“It’s really rare for monsters to appear outside dungeons around here. Especially meat from field monsters is treated specially.”
“Oh? Does it taste different?”
“It seems so. I’ve only ever eaten dungeon-sourced meat, so I wouldn’t know.”
The receptionist chuckled. It seemed that even in this world, disparities existed. This country appeared to have a feudal system, with a monarchy and a class-based society.
“Still, Okuno, you’ve only been an adventurer for three days, right? It’s impressive that you managed to hunt a Boar Wolf all by yourself. Were you a soldier or something before?”
“Huh? No, I’m just… what should I say, a merchant, I suppose? I was completely unacquainted with fighting.”
“Really? Then you might be well-suited for being an adventurer. Keep up the good work!”
“Thank you. I’ll be waiting here, reviewing the Adventurer’s Guide until the dissection is complete.”
I thanked the receptionist and headed to the resource room, which adventurers rarely used.
In the end, I received 450,000 Rom and returned to my inn. The amount was lower because I had fully repaid my loan.
On the way back, I restocked on potions and bought a replacement pair of pants for my torn slacks. The fabric was rare, so the clothing store offered a decent price for the trade-in. It made sense that modern Japanese fabric would seem expensive compared to the materials in this world.
Additionally, I decided to prepare some armor for my trip to the dungeon tomorrow. I stopped by the armor shop and ordered a breastplate, gauntlets, and shin guards. They assured me that they would be ready by tomorrow morning since only adjustments to the fittings were needed.
Now, as I stretched out on my bed, I couldn’t help but notice something peculiar.
I felt as if my physical abilities had increased a rank compared to this morning.
I had sensed it while carrying the Boar Wolf, but it seemed like there had been a change before and after the battle.
“Could it be something like leveling up?”
The guide did mention that “adventurers grow stronger through battle,” but I had assumed it referred to skills. Perhaps there were other ways to enhance one’s body.
It seemed that the Awakening granted various benefits to humans. If I continued to grow stronger alongside my skills, I might become something akin to a superhuman.
Even as an F-Rank adventurer, I had managed to defeat that monster one-on-one. Considering that, the D-Rank adventurers in this town might have already transcended the limits of humanity.
Speaking of which, I had heard that adventurers who wield their power to harm others without just cause faced severe punishment. That made sense. If someone with such power turned to crime, it would lead to catastrophic consequences.
No, on the contrary, there would undoubtedly be those who would attempt to misuse such power. I needed to remain vigilant about that.
Regardless, based on today’s training and battle, I estimated that I had gained the following skills:
Adventurer Level 2
Weapon Skills
– Mace: Level 3
– Dagger: Level 2
Armor Skills
– Buckler: Level 2
Physical Abilities
– Endurance: Level 3
– Strength: Level 3
– Speed: Level 3
– Agility: Level 3
– Reflexes: Level 3
Sensory Skills
– Sight: Level 2
– Hearing: Level 2
– Smell: Level 2
– Touch: Level 2
– Dynamic Vision: Level 2
– Presence Detection: Level 3
Mental Skills
– Composure: Level 1
Assuming my level had increased due to the battle with the Boar Wolf.
I figured my skills had probably increased by one level through training.
The sudden clarity I experienced during the fight was likely due to a skill as well. I would tentatively assume it was the Composure skill.
As I pondered all this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I might still be trapped in some bizarre dream.
Yet the pain from my wounds and the sensation of striking the creature insisted otherwise.
Indeed, life is unpredictable, but it’s rare for someone to find themselves in such a bewildering situation.