Chapter 3
The next day, I went to a forest near the city of Rondalm.
I had checked beforehand that monsters of manageable strength appeared here.
If I stayed in the shallower areas close to town, there shouldn't be any chance of an accident.
Since I'm only 【Lv: 1】, I need to avoid that kind of accident at all costs.
First, I need to get out of the low-level range.
I'll level up with the Wall strategy.
"Ribbit! Ribbit!"
After walking through the forest for a while, a monster appeared right away.
A monster with a slimy blue body, about a meter long... a Rana.
Just as its cry suggested, it was a monster modeled after a frog.
"〈Status〉"
I pointed my sword at the monster.
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Monster: Rana
Lv: 2
HP: 7/7
MP: 3/3
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〈Status〉 also lets you check a target's basic Level, HP, and MP.
I couldn't see its other stats or Skills, but knowing its Level gave me a decent idea of what to expect.
"Ribbit!"
Rana leapt at me.
I deliberately caught it with the chest of my armor and knocked it back.
"〈Wall Counter〉!"
My armor began to glow, and Rana was sent flying.
Despite being a higher Level than me, Rana's body burst apart, sending its limbs flying.
【You gained 2 experience.】
【Your Level increased from 1 to 2.】
【You acquired 1 Skill Point.】
A message rang in my head.
I had successfully leveled up for the first time.
"...Still, seeing it like this, it's brutal."
Heavy Knights have low attack power.
If I fought normally, I would barely do any damage.
It would have turned into a drawn-out slugfest.
For that matter, if I'd spent a Skill Point on 〈Beginner Swordsmanship〉, there's a good chance I'd have lost in a straight-up brawl.
If I use up too much stamina, I'll earn less experience today.
Let's be efficient and get through this quickly.
The flesh of the crushed Rana's corpse dissolved, leaving behind only a blue stone.
It was a water-element magic stone.
Monsters are clumps of unstable mana, and when they die, their bodies disappear.
That leaves behind only their core: the magic stone.
"A 【Lv: 2】 magic stone... It probably won't sell for much, but I may as well keep it for now."
As I picked up the blue stone, I heard a commotion behind me.
"H-Help! Somebody help me!"
I turned and spotted a swordsman running toward me.
He looked about my age.
"An adventurer?"
It's best for adventurers not to run into each other in a hunting ground.
It can lead to unnecessary trouble.
"I'm—I'm gonna be killed! They're gonna kill me!"
The swordsman let out a scream.
Behind him, I saw nearly ten Ranas.
"Ribbit! Ribbit!"
They croaked as if to intimidate us.
Luring a horde of monsters onto someone was a serious breach of etiquette, but his life was on the line.
It couldn't be helped.
"Leave it to me."
I stepped forward, passing the swordsman.
"Y-You! C-Can you really handle them? Ah! With gear like that, are you actually some famous adventurer...?"
"I just gained a Level for the first time in my life."
When I answered honestly, the swordsman's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"Y-You can't be serious! You're way weaker than me! There's no way a newbie can handle that many monsters! T-Take off your armor! If you keep wearing that, you won't be able to run away even from opponents you could otherwise escape!"
The swordsman hurriedly shouted at me.
Nearly ten Ranas leapt at me.
I drew my sword back and tensed my body.
"Geeeeek!"
"Hmph!"
I activated 〈Wall Counter〉.
The Ranas leaping at me burst apart one after another.
One at a time.
【You gained 2 experience.】
【You gained 3 experience.】
【Your Level increased from 2 to 3.】
【You acquired 1 Skill Point.】
【You gained 4 experience.】
【Your Level increased from 3 to 4.】
【You acquired 1 Skill Point.】
Messages announcing my level-ups rang out one after another.
In just two minutes, the area was splattered with blue Rana fluids.
"Hmph!"
I sent the last one flying with 〈Wall Counter〉.
【You gained 2 experience.】
【Your Level increased from 7 to 8.】
【You acquired 1 Skill Point.】
Before I knew it, I was 【Lv: 8】.
That brought my Skill Points to 【7】.
【You acquired Title 〈The Immovable〉.】
I also got a Title while I was at it.
It's a way to commemorate meeting certain conditions.
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〈The Immovable〉【Title】
Proof of having defeated ten or more monsters without taking offensive action.
Increases your defense while stationary by 【+10%】.
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This should make it easier to meet 〈Wall Counter〉's activation condition.
Titles can sometimes be prerequisites for obtaining Skills or Skill Trees.
I need to collect them actively.
"Hmm, things are going smoothly."
From what I've seen so far, I can assume the system is identical to 〈Magic World〉.
"I-I appreciate the help, but... who are you?"
The swordsman was looking at me as if he'd encountered a monster in the forest.
"That's a terrible way to talk to the person who saved your life."
As I spoke, I opened 〈Status〉 and checked.
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【Elymas Edvaughn】
Class: Heavy Knight
Lv: 8
HP: 10/28
MP: 4/11
Attack: 7+5
Defense: 24+5
Magic: 9
Speed: 9
【Equipment】
〈Low-Ranking Soldier's Sword〉
〈Iron Armor〉
【Trait Skills】
〈None〉
【Regular Skills】
〈Wall Counter〉
【Titles】
〈The Immovable〉
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Good, all my stats are increasing as expected.
Now I can do some more decent leveling.