Chapter 4
“I’m Ares. I came here from a rural village hoping to become an adventurer, but... it seems like the only people who form parties at 【Lv: 1】 are people who already know each other. They told me they couldn’t trust anyone who hadn’t leveled up to at least 【Lv: 3】 on their own, so I started to panic. You really saved me. I’d like to thank you properly sometime.”
“I’m Elymas Eld... No, just Elymas.”
That piece-of-shit old man had told me not to use the family name.
“Don’t worry about thanking me. This was a good chance to gain some levels. I’ll be taking all the magic stones, though.”
“Elymas, huh! Hey, I know a pair of adventurers who might let me join their party when we get back. Want to come along? Since you were wandering around alone, you must be looking for a party too, right? Defensive Classes aren’t popular with low-level adventurers, but... I think you’re amazing! I’ll definitely convince the others! Besides, now I owe you one for saving me!”
Ares clenched his fist and spoke with passionate conviction.
“No, thanks.”
“W-Why not...? The way you fought just now, you’re a shield Class, right? If you keep going alone, you’ll never level up! Don’t be so stubborn...”
“I think I just proved I can fight on my own.”
“You’ve got a point...”
Ares was right.
Normally, defensive Classes showed their true worth by drawing enemy attacks and protecting their allies.
But with the kind of leveling I had in mind, bringing a whole bunch of people along would just split the experience and make it inefficient.
And it was hard to say whether anyone else would believe what I told them.
I also wanted to collect items, Skills, and Titles. Having a bunch of companions with me would only get in the way.
...Besides, if I were going to recruit anyone, I’d want a Class specialized in exploration or a versatile mage Class with a wide range of abilities.
But since neither type got many chances to fight in a flashy way, few people used them in 〈Magic World〉, and demand for them was extremely high.
Still, I probably wouldn’t find someone like that so conveniently.
“But the way you’re doing things is bound to cause problems eventually! Once you get past the low-level range, there’ll be nothing but opponents a defensive Class can’t handle alone!”
“There’s a way to handle just about anything, depending on how you go about it...”
Even Skill Trees that weren’t exclusive to a particular Class could be acquired through items or Skills from priest-type Classes.
If I gave up 〈Beginner Swordsmanship〉 and 〈Defense Increase〉 to get the Skill Trees I needed, I could make up for my lack of offensive power just fine.
That freedom was one of the things that made 〈Magic World〉 so popular.
...Of course, Skill Points were irreversible, so plenty of people quit after messing up their Skill builds.
“Elymas, I’m telling you this for your own good! You’re amazing! That’s exactly why I can’t just stand by and watch you keep going solo, leveling inefficiently! There’s no point in hunting nothing but Ranas, right? Come aim higher with me!”
Just as Ares said that, a monster dropped to the ground with a thud in front of us.
It was a gigantic spider.
Its entire body was covered in bright red fur, and it was over two meters long.
Its head, also covered in red fur, was that of an eight-eyed monkey with a huge mouth.
“Gyaaaaaaaaa!”
The Aranda Ape roared, baring its rows of teeth.
“N-No way...!?”
Ares cried out in despair.
I quickly checked it with 〈Status〉.
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Monster: Aranda Ape
Lv: 16
HP: 31/31
MP: 11/11
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It was a monster twice my level.
...I’d been hunting in the shallow areas near the city to avoid running into something like this.
Aranda Apes were poisonous, fast, and could spit venom that hindered movement.
On top of that, they had high attack power and the Skill 〈Stealth〉, which let them hide their presence.
It seemed that while Ares was running around, he’d drawn the Aranda Ape’s attention.
Aranda Apes were aggressive and fast.
〈Wall Counter〉 was a Skill for picking on weaker opponents, and it was practically useless against someone stronger.
I had to completely negate the attack to meet its activation condition.
To completely negate an attack, my Defense had to be twice the enemy’s Attack.
It wasn’t a Skill I could use against an opponent of my own level.
To make matters worse, the Aranda Ape had the Skill 〈Fire Claw〉.
It increased the speed of its arms and its attack power. If it hit me, that would be the end of it.
“I-I can’t exactly leave this thing for you to handle...! I-I’ll draw it away! While I do, run!”
Ares offered to do that for me.
Despite his brave words, his legs were trembling so badly that he seemed to regret saying it the moment the words left his mouth.
“...No, I’ll handle it. Leave this to me.”
I was drawing on every bit of the 〈Magic World〉 knowledge I’d accumulated in my previous life.
As long as I knew its Level, I could work out all of the Aranda Ape’s other stats.
I’d been thinking it over this whole time, and I’d reached a conclusion.
I could win this fight.
“D-Don’t be stupid! No matter how you look at it! An Aranda Ape isn’t something a newbie can handle! I know you’re amazing, but there’s just no way!”
Ares shouted, his face deathly pale.
It was only natural for him to think that.
With this much of a level difference, my attacks would barely do anything, while every one of its attacks would be fatal.
But I had data from countless battles in my days playing 〈Magic World〉.
“〈Status〉!”
As I stepped forward, I opened 〈Status〉 and brought up the Skill Tree screen.
I had the 【7】 Skill Points I’d just earned.
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【Skill Tree】
［Remaining Skill Points: 0］
〈Oath of Heavy Armor[12/100]〉【+7】
〈Defense Increase[0/50]〉
〈Beginner Swordsmanship[0/50]〉
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Of course, I put all of them into 〈Oath of Heavy Armor〉!
【〈Oath of Heavy Armor〉 reached [10/100], so you acquired the Regular Skill 〈Disarm〉.】
That was the Skill I needed to beat the Aranda Ape right now.
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〈Disarm〉【Regular Skill】
Temporarily lowers the Attack of a target you hit by one stage.
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It was a Skill that temporarily lowered an opponent’s Attack when I landed a successful hit.
To be precise, it reduced their Attack by 【20%】 for exactly one minute.
“Come on, you monkey-spider. I’ll take you on!”
I shouted at the Aranda Ape.
All eight of its eyes glared at me.
“Gyaaaaaaaaa!”
High risk, high reward...
If I wanted to level up in 〈Magic World〉, I had to keep hunting opponents far stronger than me.
I was sure this world worked the same way.
“This is when I get the most fired up.”