Episode 12
“Seriously, monsters appear even in the plains?”
So, what was that thing yesterday?
It couldn’t be that they avoid approaching human towns because they’d be killed if found, right?
Or is it a game-like specification where monsters don’t spawn within a certain distance from the town, treating it like it’s inside the town?
Whatever the case, I’ll just be glad I realized it in one day.
Now, I know that monsters appear in the plains… but still, it’s the forest. I should pursue efficiency as much as possible.
I’d rather defeat a hundred monsters in one day and rest for ninety-nine days than defeat one monster a day for a hundred days.
And, if possible, I was hoping to defeat one more monster before reaching the forest… but that small wish was in vain, and it’s almost no longer an area that can be called a plain.
From around here, trees start to grow sparsely, and from here on, the further you go, the higher the density of trees becomes. The depths seem so dense that it’s quite dark.
“…Let’s avoid that area.”
If the trees are too close together, it’ll be difficult to wield my sword, and more than anything, it’ll be hard to walk. I’ll move along the outer edge, where there are some trees and it’s relatively easy to walk, hunting monsters as I go.
First, I walked east for about two hours and ate lunch, then turned back and went west for about three hours, thinking it’s not good to get too far from the town. At this point, I defeated four red orbs… no, four.
That makes a total of five today alone. That’s thirty En in income. I could stay at the inn for three days. By the way, it’s two loaves of bread. The prices are still messed up.
“…Hmm?”
As I was counting the En I picked up and feeling empty, I noticed a slight rustling in the nearby bushes… A monster?
“Haaah!”
I immediately slammed a Slashing Airwave into it. A heartless strike that doesn’t consider the possibility of it being a person.
“Bugeeeeh!”
“Hieegh!?”
A boar-like creature… no, it’s a boar. A boar jumped out of the bushes. It seems the Slashing Airwave hit it, as it’s bleeding a little from its head.
Thanks to that, the boar-san is furious. Its eyes are painted with dark murderous intent.
I remember that boars, contrary to their cute image, are actually violent and dangerous wild animals. If I get impaled by those sharp tusks in a powerful charge, it won’t end well.
“Kuh…!”
The only monsters I’ve defeated so far were just red orbs. Just some floating balls that I don’t understand, and I can defeat them with a single Slashing Airwave.
In contrast, this boar is clearly conveying the intent to “kill you.” Of course, I’ve never felt such naked murderous intent before.
I may have just stepped into the insane world of life-and-death struggles for the first time.
I scolded my heart, which was about to be intimidated, and held my sword in seigan stance, putting strength into my trembling legs to stop them from shaking.
As I was cautiously measuring the distance, the boar kicked up dirt with its hind legs and charged at me.
“—!”
In response, I rolled away with a side jump, quickly got up, and adjusted my posture. If I keep dodging like this, eventually—it’s not there. No, it was there. The boar is trotting along quite a bit behind me.
“…………?”
The boar, apparently realizing it missed, turned towards me and charged again. This time, instead of a side jump, I circled around while keeping the boar in sight… It’s slow. This boar is slow.
I slammed a Slashing Airwave into its defenseless flank, and the boar flipped over in one hit and disappeared in smoke. A ten En coin fell to the ground.
“…………Come to think of it, this was the starting town.”
Just as there are super-strong crayfish, there are also super-weak boars, huh? The first Slashing Airwave must have only grazed it.
I was exhausted from walking and tense, thinking it was a deadly battle with a strong enemy, but it turned out to be a ridiculously weak small fry, and all my strength drained away—no, strength is welling up!
“This is… a level up!”
Uooooooo, something inside me is activating!
I haven’t found a way to view my stats, so I don’t know the details, but my strength has probably increased quite a bit.
Like from four to six, or five to seven. I feel like the increase rate is about that much.
I tried doing pull-ups on a nearby tree… and I can only lift my body partway.
Next, I tried side-to-side jumps… Hmm? I wonder. Am I moving faster than I thought, or is it not changing at all…? Never mind the stats.
More than that, I somehow learned magic.
I couldn’t understand anything even when reading magic books, but one day I suddenly became able to use magic. Experiencing it is actually a pretty creepy phenomenon, but I guess I have no choice but to get used to it.
“Alright. Pef, ‘Pefu’.”
Oooooh, it glowed. My hand glowed. This is ‘Pefu,’ the light of healing.
If I were to injure my leg in the forest, there was a risk of not being able to return to town and dying. But with this ‘Pefu,’ there’s no need to worry about that. My future level-ups will be even more efficient.
“…………Haaah.”
As the excitement of leveling up subsided, I suddenly felt physically and mentally exhausted. Or rather, I became aware of the accumulated fatigue.
Looking up at the sky through the trees, I noticed that the sun was setting more than I thought. In terms of time, it’s somewhere between three and four in the afternoon.
It takes two hours to get from the forest to the town, so I should head back soon, or it’ll get dark on the way.
“……………”
I should head back soon. It’s dangerous at night.
I know. I’m well aware of it. But still.
“So troublesome…”
I’m already more exhausted than I was yesterday.
Now that I think about it, being tired just from walking on flat ground was pretty naive.
Even though this is the outer edge of the forest, the footing is somewhat uneven, and unlike the plains, there are blind spots, so I need to be constantly alert. In addition to that, actually fighting makes the level of fatigue immeasurable.
“…Maybe I should just… sleep here? On top of a tree or something…”
Impossible? It’s impossible, isn’t it? I have no food or water. But if not this time, then the next time, there’s room for consideration.
For example, leave the town in the morning, stay overnight in the forest, and return to the town the next evening. Just doing that would eliminate one round trip of that troublesome plain.
If I spend that time exploring the forest, I can expect a significant increase in efficiency.
Also, if I can secure a light source, it might be okay to move around a little at night. In terms of the game, the encounter rate is often higher at night.
“So… is it the opposite?”
That’s right. There’s no need to deliberately move around during the day when the encounter rate is low. It’s definitely more efficient to sleep before noon and wake up in the evening.
Then there’s the water source. If there’s a river flowing in the forest, a long-term stay isn’t just a dream. Unless the water quality is really bad, boiling it should be enough.
Yeah, imagining a bright future has given me the energy to return to town.
It was supposed to take three years, but if things go well, I might reach the level cap in about a year.