Chapter 2: As a New Adventurer
Adventurer Level: 4
Weapon Skills
– Mace: Lv. 5
– Dagger: Lv. 3
Armor Skills
– Buckler: Lv. 5
Physical Abilities
– Stamina: Lv. 5
– Strength: Lv. 6
– Speed: Lv. 5
– Explosive Power: Lv. 6
– Reflexes: Lv. 5
Sensory Skills
– Vision: Lv. 4
– Hearing: Lv. 3
– Smell: Lv. 3
– Touch: Lv. 3
– Dynamic Vision: Lv. 5
– Presence Detection: Lv. 5
Mental Skills
– Composure: Lv. 3
– Thought Acceleration: Lv. 2
To live a long second life, I must become stronger, that much is clear.
With this realization in mind, I decided to begin my training before dawn, fully aware that I might be overworking myself.
Swinging a Dark Metal rod at the entrance of the town proved to be far more challenging than I had anticipated.
After all, it was a rod heavier than my own body weight. Even swinging it required careful consideration of its center of gravity, making it quite a difficult task.
However, when handled like a dumbbell, the load felt almost insufficient. It seemed I was nearing the realm of the extraordinary.
Regardless, after various training sessions with this rod, I confirmed that my Skills were indeed improving.
Next, I devoured some meat skewers I had saved. Though they were cold and hard, I ate them without hesitation. The protein seeped into my body, surely boosting my raw strength. At least, I hoped so.
Once the sun rose, I planned to head to the Great Rock Dungeon. While physical training was important, earning money was equally crucial.
I had already memorized the route to the third underground floor. With my Skills having improved since yesterday, I felt confident in my ability to fight. Without hesitation, I descended to the third floor.
Five Goblins appeared almost immediately. Without any tricks, I swung my mace horizontally at them.
Three of them were sent flying to the right, while the remaining two were stunned as their wooden clubs were knocked away. Naturally, I took advantage of that moment to strike them down in one swift motion.
What do you know? It seems brute force works just fine.
Next came four Rock Lizards, charging at me with their mouths wide open.
It would be unwise to confront them head-on. I stepped to the left and struck the leftmost Rock Lizard upward.
The remaining three, having turned to follow my movement, lined up perfectly for a vertical charge.
One by one, I countered their attacks, knocking them down with ease. It seemed that positioning was crucial against slower monsters.
Ah, my thoughts feel sharper than before. Perhaps I should continue exploring the third floor.
As a result, I confirmed that I could indeed handle the third floor. With the number of monsters present, the earnings were promising.
In my overconfidence, I was bitten on the foot by a Rock Lizard once, but I quickly defeated it and used a Potion to remedy the situation.
After defeating a considerable number of Goblins and Rock Lizards, my adventurer level increased, and I decided to call it a day after confirming the entrance to the fourth floor.
With some time to spare, I naturally stopped by the training grounds (temporary).
“Okuno-san, are you sure you’re not overdoing it?”
The receptionist, Kisara, looked at me with a skeptical gaze, eyeing the large haul I had brought back.
I might have pushed myself a bit today, but admitting it would only complicate things, so I decided to play dumb.
“No, I don’t think I’m overdoing it. My body feels fine.”
“But that tear in your pants looks like a bite mark, doesn’t it?”
As expected of a professional; she didn’t miss that detail.
“Ah, well, that’s true. But I have Potions prepared, so I’m fine.”
“They say the first three months are the most dangerous for adventurers. Please be careful.”
“Thank you. I don’t want to die just yet, so I’ll be cautious.”
As I received over 100,000 Rom, I averted my gaze and focused on the bulletin board.
Typically, it displayed information about monsters that appeared in the Dungeon, but occasionally, requests for monster extermination in the fields would be posted.
Though, for a fledgling F-Rank adventurer like me, it was mostly irrelevant…
“Oh, by the way. There’s currently a request for Goblin extermination. A small settlement has been discovered nearby. I think the E-Rank party ‘Ginrin’ will take it, but how about you, Okuno-san?”
“Huh?”
An unexpected offer came my way. ‘Ginrin’ was the name of that helpful young man’s party.
“Wouldn’t that be unwelcome?”
“No, actually, for adventurers ranked E and above, cooperating with new recruits for training is a great way to earn points.”
“Points?”
“Yes, points needed to rank up. The guild is quite focused on training newcomers, and this is part of that effort.”
“I see. So by taking me along on the extermination request, they earn points.”
“Exactly. You seemed to get along well with Kaim-san, so it would be a good fit. Of course, participating in the extermination request will also earn you points.”
“Hmm…”
This seemed like a pretty good deal. I wanted to experience an extermination request, and I was curious about the Goblin settlement. More importantly, witnessing the E-Rank party in action would be invaluable.
“Alright. If ‘Ginrin’ agrees, I would love to participate.”
“Great! I’ll talk to them when they return today.”
And just like that, my first participation in an extermination request was decided.
“Hey, old man, we’re going to take down the Goblin settlement together.”
While I was eating in the dining hall, Kaim, who had just returned, approached me.
Upon closer inspection, he was a well-built young man with short brown hair, a decent-looking guy.
“Oh, you accepted it? Thank you, that helps a lot.”
“Well, it’s points for us too. You seem like you won’t make any strange moves, old man.”
“I’ll definitely follow your lead. This is my first extermination request, after all.”
“That’s the shortcut to E-Rank. We’re heading out the day after tomorrow. Prepare tomorrow. Bring at least three Potions and three days’ worth of rations. Don’t forget a water bottle; there’s a village along the way where we can refill.”
“Got it. What’s the schedule like?”
“On the first day, we’ll move close to the site. On the second day, we’ll take down the settlement in the morning, and if we have time, we’ll return to Tolson in one go. If not, we’ll stay overnight at a village along the way.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“Well, since we’ll be sleeping outside at night, a cloak would be good too. As a man, as long as I can eat and sleep, I should be fine.”
“True. Thanks, I’ll prepare accordingly.”
“Alright, see you later.”
Waving goodbye, Kaim headed to his room. He seemed to be the caring type. I was lucky to have met him first.
After finishing my meal, I returned to my room, battling the drowsiness that had struck me as a consequence of waking up early.
The next morning, I trained again before dawn.
The Dark Metal rod proved to be incredibly useful. If I had the funds, I might consider buying another one.
However, I had to be cautious while handling it. Entering the inn with it caused the floor to creak significantly. If I brought in two, the floor would surely collapse. There were said to be skills that could alleviate this issue, but how many Dungeon bosses I would need to defeat to acquire them was known only to the gods.
Kaim and the others said they would take a break today, but I headed to the Great Rock Dungeon. I felt anxious about not gaining experience, so I needed to push myself.
The third underground floor was completely manageable. I could blow away the Goblins with my mace before they could even attack.
I wasn’t sure how large the settlement was, but I was confident I wouldn’t hinder Kaim and the E-Rank party during the battle.
On my way back, I suddenly realized I should test whether I could gain unarmed combat skills at the training grounds (temporary).
I had only dabbled in Kendo and Judo during high school, but what I needed against monsters was striking martial arts.
After an hour of repeating the punching motions based on my limited knowledge, my punches suddenly became smooth.
It seemed I had acquired ‘Martial Arts: LV. 1.’ After practicing kicks for another hour, I reached ‘Martial Arts: LV. 2,’ and noticing the sun was beginning to set, I hurried back to town.
The visible improvement in my skills was enjoyable, making training feel effortless. Perhaps this is what those genius athletes mean when they talk about “fun.”