Chapter 9

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009＿First Monster

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The sound of geta sandals tapping on the stone floor echoed. Annelise was wearing geta. Despite not intending to engage in combat, she now regretted not buying boots.

"Since I'll be the one fighting, Annelise, I want you to watch how I fight and tell me if you notice anything," I said.

"Understood," she replied.

Even so, since this is my first time in combat, let's prioritize safety.

I equipped the mithril greatsword and steel chestplate from my quick equip.

"Huh?"

Annelise let out a small voice, so I tilted my head in confusion.

"Master, how did you equip those...?"

"How did I do it? It's quick equip, of course."

"Quick equip? What is that?"

Could it be that she doesn't know about quick equip? Even someone at her high level? Ah, that's right, quick equip requires an item box, which is why she doesn't know about it.

"Quick equip is a function that comes with the item box. If you set items in it, you can equip them instantly."

"I didn't know the item box had such a function..."

She looked very puzzled, but since it's a skill she doesn't have, she seemed to reluctantly accept it.

"Also... is that sword made of mithril?"

"Ah, you can tell? It's a good sword, right?"

"Are you a noble, Master?"

"Huh? No, I'm just a commoner. I don't even know any nobles."

In this world, the only people I know are Annelise, Gorteo, and Luinéza. Whether to count the inn staff, guild employees, and market stall owners as acquaintances is a bit of a gray area.

"Mithril swords are rare. They are strong, but you might be envied for having one."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Mithril equipment is serious stuff. Still, I can't not use it. In a dangerous place like a dungeon, you never know what might happen, so it's only natural to take every precaution.

We continued deeper into the dungeon. The first fork was a crossroads.

"Which way should we go?"

"The left path has more monsters. The straight path has fewer, and the right path has about half as many as the left."

How does she know?

"How do you know that?"

"I extend my magic power to sense the reactions of monsters and explorers."

"So, you're using magic power manipulation or magic power perception?"

"Magic power perception."

"Can you detect traps with magic power perception?"

"Yes."

Traps apparently contain magic power, so they can be detected with magic power perception.

【Job】Mage Lv21

【Skills】Fire Magic (Intermediate) No Magic (Intermediate) Magic Power Manipulation (Intermediate) Magic Power Perception (Intermediate) Magic Power Increase (Intermediate)

This is Annelise's job and skills.

I've seen the statuses of many people in town, but only a few have exceeded level 20.

There was even a villager at level 25, but that's an exception. Among swordsmen, spearmen, and mages, only three had exceeded level 20. I haven't seen all the explorers, but it seems to be a world where levels are hard to increase.

Also, the skill proficiency (Intermediate) is only seen in people who have exceeded level 20. Detailed appraisal says it's difficult to raise it to (Advanced) or higher, so in a sense, (Intermediate) is close to the highest proficiency.

"Let's go right."

"Okay."

Japanese people tend to prefer the middle path.

We moved a bit further, and Annelise grabbed my arm.

"What's wrong?"

Is she tired?

"There's a monster."

It's too dark for me to see the monster.

"How far away is it?"

"About 30 people's distance."

What kind of distance is that? Do they measure length in this world using people?

"About 30 people's length? Like 30 people lying down in a row?"

"......Yes."

She looked at me as if to say, "What are you talking about?"

People's heights vary, so if you have 30 people, the difference between 150 cm and 200 cm is 15 meters. What's the standard height?

By the way, I'm about 155 cm now. I've shrunk quite a bit. That's why I only get noticed by girls.

Annelise is about 160 cm. Her back is slightly bent, but she's taller than me.

Anyway, if it's 30 people, it's about 60 meters at most, and about 50 meters at the shortest.

As we moved a bit further, a black mass appeared on the path.

"It's a gray rat."

It was a gray rat about 50 cm long, with a long tail making it about a meter in total. Its glowing red eyes gave off a sense of madness.

Gray Rat Lv1

HP=68

MP=24

STR=9

VIT=8

AGI=11

INT=2

MIN=4

DEX=6

ATK=27

DEF=24

MATK=6

MDEF=12

When we were about 10 meters away, the gray rat ran towards us. It's pretty fast!

My legs trembled with fear. I had killed a thief before, so I tried to overwrite my fear with courage.

"Take this!"

I swung the mithril greatsword at the gray rat that was charging at me. It was just a simple swing, but the mithril greatsword cut the gray rat in half.

"O... Oh!"

I didn't feel the sensation of cutting the gray rat. It was the same when I killed the thief; it just felt like swinging the mithril greatsword.

I gripped the handle tightly, realizing the power of the mithril greatsword.

"Congratulations on your first monster kill."

Annelise picked something up from the ground and said.

"The drop is rat meat."

While I was in awe, the gray rat had disappeared, leaving behind an item.

Seeing the rat meat, I felt a bit deflated and sat down.

"Phew. That was scary."

"Everyone feels that way the first time."

"Was it scary for you too, Annelise?"

"Of course. I was so scared my legs were shaking, and I couldn't move."

Even a level 21 mage had a time like that.

Fortunately, I didn't vomit. Maybe I was a bit used to it from killing the thief, or maybe it's because monsters don't leave corpses. Still, I was mentally exhausted, and my hand holding the mithril greatsword was trembling.

"Since it's your first time, everyone feels this way, but it's better to swing the sword with your shoulders relaxed."

"Okay... I'll keep that in mind."

Annelise apparently used a sword before becoming a mage. She became an explorer at villager level 4, a swordsman at villager level 8, and a mage at swordsman level 13 after discovering a spellbook. So, using a sword is second nature to her, and my movements probably look like a beginner's to her.

But the drop item is rat meat. I've eaten meat a few times since coming to this world, but I hope it's not this rat meat. It wasn't particularly bad, but thinking it's rat meat might make it hard to eat in the future.

Yeah, I'll stop thinking about it. I'll also avoid asking about the ingredients when eating meat.

"This rat meat drops a lot. The meat in the inn's breakfast is also rat meat."

Oh no! Why did you have to say that? I liked that breakfast. From now on, I'll only eat fish...

Annelise reached out her hand. She probably wants me to grab it and stand up. Grabbing it is fine, but if I put my weight on it, Annelise might fall over.

I stood up on my own and thanked her. Annelise looked a bit sad. It's not because of the meat; she was just being considerate.

"Let's keep going. Sorry, but can you put the drop items in this bag?"

"Okay."

I handed her a cloth bag. When it gets heavy, she can put it in my item box and give me an empty cloth bag.

The next one was also a Gray Rat Lv1. The booklet I bought from the guild said that only Gray Rats appear on the first floor, but their levels range from 1 to 3.

The characteristic of Gray Rats is their fast movement and biting attack. They don't have any special attacks, so they are apparently good for getting used to combat.

"Here goes!"

I swung the mithril greatsword, and the Gray Rat disappeared like a block breaking, leaving behind rat meat.

This is the effect. I didn't see it the first time because I was too tense, so it's refreshing to see it now.

"Your shoulders are still tense."

"Okay. I'll be more careful."

Annelise picked up the rat meat and put it in the cloth bag while pointing out my mistake. It's hard to notice these things on your own, so it's helpful to have someone point them out.

The third one was also a Gray Rat Lv1. Thanks to the mithril greatsword's overwhelming power, I killed it in one hit. With Annelise's feedback, I had the time to practice and correct my movements.

The Gray Rats move fast, but if you watch carefully, you can react. Since the mithril greatsword is a one-hit kill, the key is to hit them. I focused on relaxing my shoulders.

The fourth one was also pointed out, but by the time I killed the fifth one, Annelise stopped giving feedback.

I killed the sixth one while the feeling was still fresh. No feedback.

I was getting into the rhythm. To get my body used to it, I continued forward.

And the seventh one. It was the first Gray Rat Lv2 I had seen.

Gray Rat Lv2

HP=76

MP=24

STR=10

VIT=9

AGI=12

INT=2

MIN=4

DEX=7

ATK=30

DEF=27

MATK=6

MDEF=12

Compared to level 1, everything except INT and MIN is higher. STR, VIT, AGI, and DEX are each 1 point higher, and ATK and DEF are each 3 points higher.

At that time, I underestimated the difference in stats. This would lead to complacency.

Thank you for reading.

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