Chapter 6

My equipment is ready. With the longsword at my waist,

"Still going with the longsword?"

"No problem."

"You sure are."

With Tomogara muttering to himself, we head straight for the western grasslands.

Green Rabbits are easy prey.

"This is how you hunt, Aport!"

I show Tomogara, who is watching with a blank expression, my fighting style.

I pick up a pebble and throw it. It was dodged, but on the second try, I aim for the moment it lands and throw the longsword.

It hits.

"Aport, Slash!"

While running up to the Green Rabbit, which was startled and recoiled from the impact, I pull the sword back to me and use [Slash].

[Slash], which is almost at maximum power, finishes off the rabbit's HP.

It disappears in a burst of light particles.

Tomogara, who had been watching, said in a bemused tone,

"...Well, you sure do it well."

Feeling annoyed, I decide to see Tomogara's fighting style.

His level is 10, and he uses [Massive], a derivative of [Boost].

"Well, the prey is this."

He raises the greatsword he was carrying.

Then, he mutters [Boost] and [Massive], and the greatsword starts to glow faintly.

The greatsword is heavy and slow, but its attack power is inevitably high.

It was custom-made by a blacksmith acquaintance, using drop items from the area boss "Star Grizzly" in the northern forest.

"It has excellent power even in the early stages."

[Massive] seems to significantly increase strength, and he easily swings the greatsword, turning the grassland Green Rabbit into light particles.

Too strong, maybe I should get a greatsword too.

Even if it's a bit of a stretch, heavier weapons are better.

"...Maybe I'll go with a greatsword too."

"You're already wavering."

"Anything is fine as long as it's not a character delete."

For weapon slots, there are two available: main and sub.

You can have a one-handed sword and shield, a bow and knife, or a two-handed weapon, with no restrictions.

However, you can't hold a bow or one-handed sword in one hand while using another weapon.

"In that case, a thrusting sword would be better than a longsword."

Tomogara advises.

Indeed, using a slashing weapon might limit your battle options.

"Take [Boost] because it gives a movement correction just by having it."

I nod in agreement with Tomogara.

In a sense, taking skills to remove limitations is never a bad idea.

After that, Tomogara power-leveled me until I gained two levels.

I tried his greatsword, but it was very heavy and had a large gap in handling.

I thought about using [Aport], but it was difficult to teleport without investing all my level-up points into weight.

My current skills are as follows:

Player Name: Laurent

Class: Apprentice Mage Lv5

Reputation: 10

Remaining Skill Points: 0

◇Skill Tree

[Slash]

- Power Lv7/10

- Consumption Lv1/10

- Proficiency Lv1/10

- Speed Lv1/10

[Aport]

- Accuracy Lv2/10

- Range Lv2/10

- Weight Lv6/10

- Casting Lv1/1

[Throw]

- Accuracy Lv1/3

- Range Lv1/3

[Grapple]

- Power Lv1/3

- Duration Lv1/3

We return to town.

Tomogara seems to be heading to a town further beyond the second town. He designates his destination at the large fountain in the center of the fountain park and disappears.

If you've been to a town before, you can use that, right?

That's convenient.

I can't hitch a ride, though.

Well, it would be unsightly to do so.

I want to buy a greatsword and advance beyond the forest, but I decide to get the [Boost] skill first.

To obtain this skill, I need to go to the dojo.

When I arrive, I see NPCs in training uniforms sparring.

I approach an NPC with the word "Assistant Instructor" embroidered on their uniform.

"Excuse me."

"The foundation of combat is movement! Are you interested in joining?"

The pressure was intense.

"Um..."

"At our dojo, we teach beginners kindly as part of maintaining health!"

In the direction he points, child NPCs are swarming around what seems to be a teacher.

"No, I came to get the [Boost] skill."

"Ah, I see. The skill itself costs 1000 Grow. Lately, players just take the skills and rush into the field without proper training..."

He's probably talking about players. From the bulletin board, it seems Tomogara's information about [Boost] being useful just by having it has already been posted, and many people are saying it's worth paying money to get it at the dojo.

I ask the assistant instructor, who is muttering complaints,

"By the way, what happens if I join?"

"You'll undergo basic martial arts training. Most people skip the explanation, but before you can use [Boost] effectively, you need to build a body that can move properly!"

I see, in a game, many people skip unnecessary explanations and just follow the guide.

I skip tutorials and rarely read manuals, so I understand the feeling.

"I'm a magic user, though. Can I keep up?"

I'm quite enthusiastic about the dojo training.

It might be good to try it to regain my sense of the game.

To my question, the assistant instructor says,

"Hmm, a true beginner, I see. Do you know about hidden stats?"

This is a shock.

I didn't know that.

"Whether you're a melee, magic, or ranged class, the initial body is the same. As you level up, your stats shift based on your class, skills, and battles. You get used to it. In this starting dojo, we train to get you used to movement."

The [Boost] skill does more than just increase physical abilities.

That's good to know.

I quickly agree, "I'll join."

I decide to send a message to Tomogara.

The bulletin board is already filled with questions about [Aport], and there are more and more comments criticizing the hiding of information.

I need to be careful.

I should keep personal information secret.

"Then, I'll take 500 Grow as an initiation fee!"

"..."

"Just kidding, let's see your skills first. The training uniforms are in the back room, so feel free to use them."

The assistant instructor points to the back room with his chin.

Twitter: @tera_father