Chapter 10

"………………I can't accept this."

Back at the inn, I grumbled.

"Today's hunt was 101 kobolds and 42 goblins."

Kobolds usually travel in groups of no more than three, and most often alone, making them easy to hunt. Thanks to this, I was able to hunt smoothly and even level up three times...

"But how come I only got four magic stones from the kobolds and one from the goblins?"

From what I saw, the others were getting at least one magic stone for every 3 to 5 monsters they killed.

"Furthermore..."

When I ran into Walter at the adventurer's guild to exchange the magic stones, he snorted at the sight of the stones I brought in.

"I relied on healing for my injuries today, so I didn't use any potions."

A kobold's magic stone is worth four silver coins, so today's income is—

- 4 kobold magic stones × 4 silver coins = 16 silver coins

- 1 goblin magic stone × 2 silver coins = 2 silver coins

—Total: 18 silver coins.

"Thinking about it, it's actually a pretty good income, isn't it?"

Since I'm exploring the dungeon alone, I don't have to worry about splitting the loot. Just looking at the income, it's not a bad haul, right?

"Still, to get only five magic stones after all that hunting... it feels like I have bad luck... Wait a minute?"

I checked my status, focusing particularly on 'Luck.'

"The numbers have gotten smaller as my level has increased, but it's still at -6."

I had a vague feeling that my increased strength was making my attacks more powerful, and my increased health was allowing me to use more Bash skills.

It seems that all the status categories have some meaning, so naturally, 'Luck' should also be an important factor...

"No... Is this the cause? Should I increase it?"

I had planned to allocate my status points today, intending to increase 'Strength' to one-shot kobolds with Bash.

From the feel of it, just a little more strength would allow me to one-shot kobolds. Reducing the number of hits needed to kill them would increase the number of kills I could make.

Furthermore, considering that I only leveled up three times despite hunting so many monsters, even with the 'Increased Experience Gain' skill, it feels like leveling up is getting harder. In other words, a poor choice here could hinder my future level-ups.

"Which is the right choice?"

The low drop rate of magic stones is likely due to this 'Luck.' But what if increasing 'Luck' doesn't improve the drop rate? I don't want to waste my status points and make things worse for myself.

I've only seen other parties pick up magic stones a few times, and it could be that they just had good luck.

"If only I could get some concrete proof..."

I spent the whole night agonizing over whether to allocate my status points.

---

"Well, let's get to it today."

Upon arriving at the second floor of the dungeon, I psyched myself up.

"Getting used to this daily routine, I'm starting to feel more comfortable."

Today, I've already killed 15 goblins on my way to the second floor. The reduced number of battles is due to my familiarity with the first floor's layout and my ability to defeat goblins with regular attacks.

"Ah! Found a kobold right away."

Encountering a kobold as I moved forward, the fear I once felt has diminished. Thanks to yesterday's extensive hunting, I can predict their charge based on the way they move.

*Gaaaaaaah—*

"Bash!"

*Gyuhn!*

"Good, one-shot!"

Last night, I ultimately decided not to allocate points to 'Luck.' There was no proof that it affected the drop rate of magic stones, and most importantly...

"If the magic stones are hard to get, I'll just kill twice as many!"

This seemed more reliable.

With the ability to one-shot kobolds, I advanced and slaughtered every kobold I encountered. I even ran into the adventurer party I saw the other day, and they looked shocked at my efficiency in hunting kobolds.

---

"Today, 252 kobolds and 25 goblins..."

After finishing my hunt, I sat in a chair at the adventurer's guild, waiting to be called.

"Let's check my status..."

Since I had some time to wait, I checked my status.

Name: Tim

Age: 16

Class: Warrior Level 15

Strength: 108 + 30

Agility: 78

Health: 78 + 30

Magic: 16

Spirit: 38

Dexterity: 62

Luck: -5

Status Points: 40

Skill Points: 89

Unique Skills: 'Status Manipulation'

Skills: 'Swordsmanship Level 5' 'Bash Level 5' 'Healing Level 3' 'Increased Skill Points Gain Level 5' 'Increased Status Points Gain Level 5' 'Increased Experience Gain Level 5' 'Light' 'Trap Detection Level 5' 'Trap Disarming Level 5' 'Backstep Level 5'

I had leveled up four times, and my status points had recovered.

"Huh, what's this?"

The skills I already had had changed. What was previously '★★★★★' had become '★★★★★☆'.

"Is the cap unlocked?"

Only 'Swordsmanship' and 'Bash' had this change. It must be due to my increased Warrior level. Since both are useful skills, I didn't hesitate to allocate my skill points.

"Hmm? Did my skill points decrease by two at once...?"

I thought it might be a mistake, but my skill points, which were 89 a moment ago, are now 85.

"Anyway, the levels of 'Swordsmanship' and 'Bash' have increased..."

It seems that I need multiple skill points to increase the levels further. I was considering learning other skills with the leftover points, but it might be premature to do so, considering the potential for further unlocks.

It was probably a good thing I didn't allocate points on a whim.

"Mr. Tim, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

The receptionist called out to me. I closed the status screen and stood in front of her.

"Today, you have 12 kobold magic stones and 2 goblin magic stones. That's a total of 52 silver coins."

A tray with a large stack of silver coins was presented to me. Five bundles of 10 coins each, plus 2 more coins, neatly arranged.

As I put the silver coins into my bag...

"Here is your guild card, which we've been holding for you. Congratulations, you've been promoted to E-rank."

"Thank you."

It seems the number of magic stones I submitted to the guild exceeded the required amount, and I've finally leveled up after about a year.

"At first, I was worried that you might quit or die when you were struggling with goblins, but recently, Mr. Tim's performance has been amazing."

"R-really?"

I kept my distance from the receptionist, who was speaking enthusiastically.

"According to the data compiled by the adventurer's guild, one in five monsters drops a magic stone, and one in a hundred drops an item."

"O-oh, there's such data?"

My voice rose involuntarily.

"Of course, this is based on the number of monsters reported by adventurers, so there is some variation."

"I see..."

"Typically, an E-rank equivalent adventurer party retrieves about 15 kobold magic stones from the dungeon in a day, meaning they face about 75 kobolds."

I killed over 250 kobolds today...

"In other words, Mr. Tim, you're hunting the same number as a party on your own."

I wondered what this receptionist would look like if I told her I was hunting three times that amount...

As I thought about it, a disturbing thought crossed my mind.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Tim?"

The receptionist peered at my face.

"No, I'm just a bit tired... I think I'll head home."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you."

I said goodbye to the receptionist and left. When I reached the inn...

"Of course, it's because of this!"

I couldn't help but shout, glaring at the 'Luck' status, which was clearly the cause of the abnormal magic stone drop rate.