Chapter 2

(No way...?)

Fonsie stared at the text, over and over again.

However, there was no sign of any change.

(Lie, I've never heard of such a unique skill! Why, why did this happen...!)

Fonsie almost shouted out loud but managed to hold back at the last moment.

Then, as if searching for a glimmer of hope, he directed his consciousness here and there.

Normally, multiple unique skills are granted.

And since most people receive skill point bonuses, even if their level doesn't rise, if the initial bonus is high enough, there's still a chance they can manage.

But—

There was nothing. No matter where he looked, all he saw was the text "Level Up 1/100."

Fonsie, who had been in a daze, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. The priest had placed his hand there.

Already, no one was left around. Everyone had received their unique skills and left the chapel.

There was no point in staying here any longer.

Fonsie had to choose a profession without skill points. But the only options were "Beggar" and "Villager."

The profession chosen here would be fixed for life. Even if he gained skill points later and acquired skills from other professions, he would still just be a "Villager who can use other professions' skills."

As a Warrior, his strength would increase, and as a Mage, his magic power would grow, with characteristic abilities added according to level. However, for a Villager, there was almost no benefit no matter how much he leveled up.

It was still manageable when his level was low, as he could compensate with his physical abilities.

But once he became a seasoned soldier, the gap would become insurmountable.

The path of a soldier was as good as closed to him.

(...Villager, huh. Ha, I never imagined such a future.)

Laughing bitterly, he made his decision.

Thus, Fonsie accepted his fate of being a "Villager" for life.

He stumbled toward the exit, his steps unsteady.

The sunlight that had seemed so bright just a moment ago was now blinding and painful.

Outside the chapel, the boys were chatting with each other.

"Hey, how did it go for you!?"

"I have a Mage aptitude, so I chose that. I wanted to use a cool sword, though."

"Hehe, I used my skill point bonus to learn swordsmanship all at once!"

Judging from their cheerful banter, it seemed few had drawn a short straw.

"Fons! Are you okay!?"

Feeritia ran over, and from the look on her face, she seemed to have guessed what had happened.

"Ah, yeah... I'm fine. How about you, Tia...?"

"Um... I... I became a Hero."

The surrounding crowd suddenly murmured at her words.

A soldier hurried over to verify the truth.

Feeritia, who had been concerned about Fonsie, was now in a different situation.

"Heroes wield the Sword of Light. Can you show it to us?"

Feeritia, at the soldier's request, took the sword from him and enveloped it in light.

The dazzling light left everyone speechless.

Thus, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Feeritia gradually extinguished the light around the sword.

"A real Hero...!"

"Who would have thought one of us would be a Hero!"

The boys were in an uproar.

Heroes didn't appear often, so their reaction was understandable.

But Fonsie felt differently.

(I wanted... I wanted the power to fight too! I promised to drive away the monsters with her!)

That dream was now out of reach.

Feeritia looked at Fonsie with a troubled expression.

Of course, he was envious and wanted to be like her.

But that wasn't what he should focus on now.

"Congratulations, Tia. Now you can fulfill your dream. You can create a village without monsters. ...I can't go with you, but I'll support you."

"Thank you... Fons."

Then Feeritia was taken away by the soldier.

As a Hero, she would receive special treatment and detailed guidance.

After seeing her off, the soldier began to check each boy's abilities.

Most didn't have significant abilities, but even that made Fonsie envious.

"...What's your unique skill?"

"Level Up 1/100."

"Hmm? I've never heard of it. But, in any case, that means..."

He didn't finish the sentence, perhaps out of consideration.

The soldier moved on to the next boy without further interaction.

After the checks, weapons were distributed to each of them.

They were to undergo group monster-hunting training to reduce the death rate among new recruits who were too excited about their new professions.

Fonsie was also given an adult-sized sword.

"...It's a rule. You can return to the village after this mission."

"Don't worry. I'm used to swords."

Yes, he was used to them.

A mere Villager, used to wielding a sword. How absurd.

But Fonsie resolved not to cry, no matter what.

"Let's depart. Our destination is the nearby forest. It's not very dangerous, but some monsters live there. Be careful!"

The boys followed the soldier one by one.

The townspeople, reminiscing about their own youth, commented on the annual event.

The boys walked down the street, chests puffed out.

Some had chosen professions like "Farmer," but they were not averse to fighting to gain initial skills.

As they reached the forest, each boy picked up a weapon and received basic training.

Fonsie had never formally learned swordsmanship, but he had been trained by a soldier who visited the village and continued practicing ever since.

Thus, his sword skills, even just in practice, looked impressive.

The soldier's disappointed face seemed to say, "If only he had a proper skill."

Of course, Fonsie knew that too.

He swung his sword mindlessly for a while, and finally, they entered the forest.

"Wow, it's creepy..."

Someone said.

The forest was dense, and visibility was poor.

Many villagers brought livestock to graze, but usually, they were accompanied by adults.

This was because, even if they were just Villagers, adults received the goddess's blessing and could at least escape if a monster appeared.

However, now, besides a few soldiers, only fifteen boys and girls were present.

This fact brought both anxiety and anticipation.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, a green goblin suddenly appeared and charged at them with a club.

"Kyaah!"

Monsters also had gods, and it was said that they could level up by defeating enemies or humans.

Thus, this conflict was inevitable. There was no need to hold back.

"Yaaaaah!"

A boy with a spear charged and struck the goblin.

When the spear tip got stuck, the still-living goblin glared at him, and the boy turned pale.

"Damn! It won't come out!"

But a boy and a girl who had circled around from the side stabbed the goblin, and it vanished, leaving behind a magic stone.

It was a rather clumsy battle.

But for those who would live without fighting, like farmers and merchants, it might be enough.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the number of monsters increased.

Fonsie, frustrated, swung his sword at the goblins.

"Take this!"

Cutting, striking, and collecting magic stones, these actions calmed him down.

Suddenly, the soldier ordered everyone to stop. There were over a dozen goblins ahead.

Those with bows and magic were instructed to attack from a distance, and then everyone was to charge at once.

"Fire!"

At the signal, arrows and fireballs were launched.

They struck and burned the goblins.

"Kyaah!"

Amid the goblins' indistinguishable cries, Fonsie was the first to charge.

He beheaded a confused goblin and cut off the hand of another that attacked him.

His performance was better than usual. The goddess's blessing seemed to be somewhat effective even for a Villager.

As Fonsie took down one and then another goblin, a scream came from behind.

Turning around, he saw a green giant larger than a goblin.

A Goblin Lord, the higher form of a goblin.

(No way! Why is it here...!)

Every time the monster swung its club, inexperienced boys were knocked down. When the soldiers attacked, it leaped onto the trees and began casting spells from above.

Balls of fire repeatedly hit the ground, causing screams to echo.

(What do I do...!)

Fonsie hesitated. He couldn't abandon them, but what could he do? What could a mere Villager do?

As the soldiers reformed their ranks, the Goblin Lord moved nimbly through the trees and left the area.

Relief was short-lived, as many of the boys were injured, and some had already lost their lives.

(If we keep fighting, can we beat something like that?)

Fonsie couldn't help but wonder.

But his priority was to help the injured.

He tended to the wounded and led them back to the city.

By the time they arrived, the sun was setting.

Those who were unharmed headed to the chapel.

As a reward for defeating monsters, they would receive a stronger blessing, meaning their level would rise, and they would gain skill points.

Fonsie prayed without much expectation.

When he did, he discovered his level had risen.

Level 1.05, Skill Points 50

(...Huh?)

Normally, a level up grants 10 skill points. But despite only a 0.05 level increase, he gained 50 skill points.

His unique skill affected only "level," and his level increase was 1/100, but perhaps the amount of skill points gained was the same as if he had leveled up five times.

(Could it be...? Can I earn a lot of skill points?)

He couldn't expect much in terms of pure strength, as his level wouldn't rise much.

But the fact that his level wouldn't rise for a long time also meant he could earn more skill points.

Monsters also had levels, and defeating weaker ones wouldn't raise his level much. Additionally, the higher his level, the more enemies he would need to defeat to level up.

Even seasoned veterans rarely reached levels in the dozens, and the higher the level, the harder it was to raise. Most importantly, constantly fighting strong enemies was dangerous.

But Fonsie's level would remain around level 1. So, even by defeating weak goblins, his level would rise, and he would keep earning skill points.

(We don't know how this will turn out. But...!)

There was a possibility.

Fonsie decided to take a chance on it.