Chapter 17

Since I'm keeping the top spot on the low-fantasy daily ranking, I'm posting three chapters today. (This is the second one.)

I was trying out the "Fireball" spell in actual combat, using it while fighting with my sword. Until now, I only had to focus on close combat, but maintaining magic while fighting turned out to be much more difficult than I expected.

I wished I could use magic whenever I needed it, but it didn't go as smoothly as I hoped. Whether it was due to the spell's mechanics or my inexperience, there was a few-second delay from casting to activation. Using that much time would make me miss the perfect timing.

So, I tried using magic preemptively, keeping it active while I fought... but I couldn't concentrate properly.

Just then, two Killer Rabbits attacked me. I decided to use "Fireball" to keep them at bay.

"Ugh!?"

At that moment, I was suddenly hit by a severe chill and nausea.

It wasn't unbearable, but the sudden phenomenon threw me into confusion. My mind was in disarray, and I was so focused on not falling over that I lost my concentration. As a result, the "Fireball" that was supposed to hit the Killer Rabbits missed and landed in the nearby river instead.

However,

*Splash!*

"Keeeee!"

"Kee!"

"!?"

A huge splash of water erupted, and the Killer Rabbits were caught in a small tsunami.

Seeing the two of them in confusion, I quickly regained my composure and rushed in to cut them down. My attack seemed to hit their vital points, and they both turned into smoke simultaneously.

My level also unexpectedly increased, and the chill and nausea I had been feeling disappeared.

"What was that just now? Thinking back, the 'Fireball' seemed smaller than usual. If the chill disappeared with the level-up, it might have been fatigue from using magic. I've used it 14 times since the last level-up. My current level is 7, and my magic power was 41 just now. ...So, does that mean each 'Fireball' costs 3 magic points? It seems to activate even if I don't have enough, but the moment it hits zero, I get that chill and nausea... If that happens during a fight with a strong enemy, it could be very dangerous. I need to carefully consider how many more spells I can cast."

I had always thought that magic had a limit, but I didn't expect it to cause such a reaction when I hit the limit. Still, it's better to experiment. If I hadn't noticed this and it happened during a fight with a rare monster, I might have died.

There was also something else that caught my attention just now.

"If a 'Fireball' hits the river, it causes such an explosion... This could be useful in emergencies. Also, maintaining magic while fighting is hard to concentrate on. But if I wait until I need it, it's too late. So... I need to force the situation and cast the spell when necessary..."

However, this means I need to predict the enemy's actions.

I can figure out most movements after fighting them a few times, but that still leaves me struggling when facing new enemies.

While thinking about this, I decided to try to reproduce the phenomenon from earlier. My current magic power is 42. According to the calculation, the 14th cast should activate properly, but I'll experience the symptoms at that moment. I hunted some monsters to level up and cast the 14th spell.

"Ugh...!!"

As expected, this discomfort is quite tough. But if I know it's coming, I can endure it. I completely stopped using magic and focused on close combat to hunt monsters and level up.

"Phew... I'm calm now."

If I keep doing this every time, my mind might wear out. But I felt a small sense of satisfaction that the results matched my expectations.

I continued to experiment with various battles using magic while exterminating the Killer Rabbits. Unlike this morning, I reached level 11 when my bag started to get full of "Killer Rabbit Horns."

"Killer Rabbits are tougher than Goblins, so they level me up faster."

I went from level 8 to 11 by fighting 100 Goblins, but I went from level 2 to 11 by fighting 90 Killer Rabbits. Killer Rabbits are definitely the higher-level enemy.

I checked my surroundings and, feeling excited, activated the level-up gacha. As usual, I pressed "10 gacha."

*Jingle*

The results were 6 blue, 3 red, and 1 purple.

"Great, another purple!"

*Rare: Dexterity +3*

*Rare: Toughness +3*

*Rare: Agility +5*

*Rare: Magic Power +3* x2

*Rare: Intelligence +3*

*Super Rare: Strength +12*

*Super Rare: Toughness +15*

*Super Rare: Toughness +7, Agility +7*

*Super Super Rare: Skill: Precognition*

* * * * *

Name: Shota Tenchi

Age: 21

Level: 11

Strength: 59 (+55)

Dexterity: 52 (+48)

Toughness: 59 (+55)

Agility: 63 (+59)

Magic Power: 42 (+40)

Intelligence: 50 (+48)

Luck: 140

Skills: Level-up Gacha, Appraisal Lv2, Appraisal Interference Lv2, Auto Mapping, Body Reinforcement Lv2, Precognition, Throwing Lv1, Fire Magic Lv1

* * * * *

"Precognition? It sounds exactly like what it is... I wonder if there are more details in the 'Dungeon Communication Network App'?"

Let's see.

*During combat, this skill allows you to sense the predicted future of the next move your opponent is likely to make. The prediction is more accurate for enemies you've fought before or movements you've seen once. The probability of activation seems to change under certain conditions, but since it's a rare skill, the details are unknown. Market price: 200 million to 300 million.*

I turned off the terminal the moment I saw that number. Yeah, I didn't see anything.

"Actually, the skill I wanted just came to me. Is this because of my 'Luck'? But even just in terms of stats, I'm far beyond the beginner stage. And having this many skills is pretty rare. It's a bit disappointing that sometimes no skills come from the Super Rare gacha, but it's still exciting to see the stats increase. I've drawn quite a bit already, but there are still..."

*30/100 left in the box*

"30 left. Just a bit more to go."

I'm only on the third day since getting this skill, and it's already down to this. The feeling of getting stronger is really growing.

"Alright, just a bit more to 100 Killer Rabbits. Let's hunt them all at once!"

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