Chapter 6

"Let me explain the skills before the battle starts."

"Is there more...?"

"Don't make that annoyed face, okay?"

Wearing the equipment I bought from Fino, I and Hishin formed a party and set foot on the grassland to the north of the city.

As far as the eye can see, it's a vast grassland, but there are quite a few players around.

It seems their goal is the same as mine, to fight the enemies on this plain, but... it's quite a bother with so many people around.

Well, the further we go, the fewer people there will be. I might as well listen to the explanation of the skills during that time.

"Sir, I think you know, but there are several types of skills: Weapon Skills, Magic Skills, Set Skills, and Sub Skills."

"Yeah, I was explained that during character creation."

"Skills can be equipped as long as you have skill slots. You have one slot each for Weapon and Magic, and five for Set initially. In your case now, these are the skills you can use effectively."

Currently, I have all the skills I have equipped.

But if I learn more skills in the future, I'll either need to increase my skill slots or replace some with Sub Skills.

"So, in your case... you're not using the Mining skill, right?"

"Well, that's true."

"Yes. So, I'd like to replace one of your less useful skills with a more useful one."

"Hmm. What kind of useful skill is it?"

"The skill is called Identification. Open the skill menu and select Skill Acquisition."

I followed his instructions and operated the menu.

A screen with countless skills, similar to what I saw during character creation, appeared before my eyes.

The difference from before is that there's a line at the top saying "Current SP: 2."

"Skill acquisition consumes SP, or Skill Points. Try searching for Identification in the search bar."

"I'll try... hmm, it's there."

"It's an initial skill. The acquisition point for Identification is 2, so you should be able to get it with your current points."

Following Hishin's words, I selected the Identification skill.

A description of the skill and a choice to acquire it or not appeared.

■ Identification: Auxiliary Active Skill

Displays information about the focused target.

Targets can be humans, monsters, items, etc.

If the skill level is lower than the target's level, it may fail.

"I see, a skill to read the opponent's information."

"Just knowing the opponent's name can be quite convenient. There's another skill called Appraisal, which takes more time to display but provides more detailed information. However—"

"Considering my case, that one would be difficult to use, right?"

It's troublesome to focus on the opponent for a while.

It's better to get the information at a glance.

Information is one of the valuable powers. If I can get it just by looking, there's no loss in acquiring it.

I nodded slightly and pressed the acquisition button.

"You've acquired it. Now, press the Set Skill Mining and swap it with Identification."

"...Alright, done."

"Great. Now, try using Identification on me. You might not see much due to the level difference."

It's important to check the feel of it.

I nodded and focused on Hishin. A semi-transparent screen floated next to her.

■ Hishin

Species: Human

Level: ???

Status: ???

Attribute: ???

Battle Position: ???

"I can see it, but I don't understand much. What's the attribute?"

"For players, it's usually a magic attribute. It can be influenced by equipment. For enemies, you can determine their weakness based on their attribute."

"I see... this can be used on items too, right?"

"Yes. So, try to use it actively—oh, look, an enemy."

I had noticed its approach, but I turned to face it at Hishin's words.

The open grassland made it easy to spot the approaching figure.

That figure—

■ Fangrabbit

Species: Animal, Monster

Level: 2

Status: Active

Attribute: None

Battle Position: Ground

"Just a rabbit, huh?"

"Don't be careless. It's a rabbit, but it's fast and a small target—"

While Hishin was speaking, the rabbit charged at me and leaped to attack.

Since I could see it, it wasn't a problem.

I dodged and drew my wakizashi in a quick motion, slicing the rabbit's neck as it leaped.

A moment later, the rabbit fell behind me and died.

"Even a rabbit can raise your level... and stats, right?"

"You handled it normally. Beginners usually struggle... and it seems you have accumulated experience points from defeating Fried. Levels only go up one at a time. If you have excess experience points, you'll level up the next time you gain experience."

"I see. So, I'll probably level up for a while."

I nodded at Hishin's words and completed the stat operations.

I already have a plan for growth, so I don't need to worry about it for now.

Feeling satisfied with the rising numbers, I checked the fallen rabbit.

The realistic blood flow was due to the gore filter being turned off.

Thinking about this, I touched the rabbit's corpse—then a window appeared.

"Disassemble?"

"When you defeat a monster, you can get its materials. Touch the corpse to disassemble it and get items."

"I see. Let's try it."

I nodded at Hishin's words and pressed Yes on the window.

The rabbit's corpse turned into particles of light and disappeared, and new text appeared on the window.

It seems to be the description of the obtained items.

■ Material: Food - Fangrabbit Meat

Meat of a Fangrabbit.

When cooked, it has a light and refreshing taste.

■ Material: Leather - Fangrabbit Fur

Fur of a Fangrabbit.

Not large enough for armor.

It seems the obtained items are automatically stored in the inventory.

I should collect them after defeating enemies.

I checked the item list and confirmed the skill levels before closing the menu.

However, the skill levels are skewed.

If they don't level up unless used, I should use the Enhancement Magic too.

That way, the MP Auto Recovery will also increase.

I nodded slightly, sheathed my wakizashi, and drew my katana.

I remember, when using magic, you need to focus on the magic you want to use—

"Sharp Edge"

"Leveling up the magic skill, huh? That's good. Keep it up when it runs out."

"Alright, I'll do that. Let's move on to the next one."

Holding the katana, which was enveloped in orange light, I advanced through the grassland.

Compared to near the city gate, the number of people was gradually decreasing.

And with that, the number of monsters attacking us would also increase.

As if to meet that expectation, the next one to appear was a different monster.

■ Stepwolf

Species: Animal, Monster

Level: 3

Status: Active

Attribute: None

Battle Position: Ground

"Skill level of Identification has increased."

"Hmm, a wolf."

"Ah, the wolf that kills beginners. Be careful. Despite its size, it attacks faster than a rabbit."

"Canine animals are like that, right?"

While replying to Hishin, I readied my katana.

Wolves are terrifying animals. Those who have dogs know that dogs run much faster than humans.

With their weight, they can easily knock down a human with an unstable center of gravity.

If they get on top of you, it's over; they'll tear out your throat.

That's even more threatening with a wolf that's about a meter long from nose to tail.

Of course—

"Grrrrr..."

"Better than fighting a bear. I have a katana too."

"Huh?"

"Roar!"

Hishin looked puzzled at my comment, but before she could respond, the wolf attacked.

The wolf, with its greenish fur, moved as a camouflage in the grass and charged at me with its four legs.

It was fast, but slightly slower than a real dog.

It seems the game has it set slower.

Feeling a bit disappointed, I swept my katana horizontally at the wolf aiming for my leg.

"Shh!"

"Ga—ga!?"

Just before it could bite, I stepped in.

The impact of my strong step made the wolf flinch slightly, and in that moment, I swept its front legs with my katana.

Naturally, it couldn't stand and fell. I then slashed its throat with a downward stroke.

I could have crushed its head, but the blade might have been damaged.

I'll test the performance of the katana for piercing bones later.

"Level has increased. Allocate stat points."

"Skill level of Katana has increased."

"Skill level of Enhancement Magic has increased."

"Skill level of Death Point Strike has increased."

"That rabbit gave quite a bit of experience."

"Well, I knew that... it seems you won't need support for a while."

"Right. Just deal with the ones that attack you."

"I understand."

Satisfied with Hishin's nod, I continued forward.

However, there don't seem to be many strong enemies. Wolves alone aren't worth it unless they attack in a pack.

Thinking about this, the wolves that appeared were at most three at a time.

The ones that attacked Hishin were quickly defeated, so it wasn't an interesting fight.

While thinking about this, we encountered a group of players.

---

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■ Avatar Name: Quon

■ Gender: Male

■ Race: Human

■ Level: 5

■ Stats (Remaining Stat Points: 0)

STR: 13

VIT: 11

INT: 13

MND: 11

AGI: 10

DEX: 10

■ Skills

Weapon Skill: Katana: Lv.5

Magic Skill: Enhancement Magic: Lv.3

Set Skill: Death Point Strike: Lv.5

HP Auto Recovery: Lv.1

MP Auto Recovery: Lv.2

Looting Blade: Lv.1

Identification: Lv.3

Sub Skill: Mining: Lv.1

■ Current SP: 6