Chapter 2 of 100

Chapter 2

10 min read2,436 words

The two approaching shadows seemed to resemble wild dogs.

Perhaps because of the distance, I couldn't confirm their names as monsters with [Identification].

They looked like dogs.

No, they seemed to be Wild Dogs, which I fought yesterday.

The red inverted triangle markers were blinking, indicating that they recognized us as attack targets.

Yesterday, I fought and defeated a single one without any problems.

Based on the feeling of the battle, they were tougher than Horn Rabbits.

There was also the option to run away.

"Volf, let's fight. But don't overdo it and stay close to me."

I made sure I had a potion in my pocket that I could use during combat.

If it were one-on-one, Volf would win without taking any damage.

But what about two-on-two?

This would test our coordination.

Volf lowered his stance and prepared to intercept.

The ones approaching were indeed Wild Dogs.

One of them charged forward, and Volf leaped at it.

At first, they circled each other, aiming for the neck, but neither could land a decisive blow.

The Wild Dog's attention didn't seem to be on me.

I jabbed the Wild Dog with my rod, aiming for its underside.

I lifted it into the air with a flick.

The other Wild Dog was about to pounce when Volf tackled it from the side.

I jabbed the fallen Wild Dog's belly with my rod, pinning it to the ground.

Volf bit the Wild Dog's throat, slowing its movements.

I could see the Wild Dog's HP bar decreasing rapidly.

The other Wild Dog was approaching, targeting Volf.

Now, should I finish off the restrained Wild Dog first?

Or should I focus on the approaching one?

I hesitated but moved before making a decision.

I stepped on the restrained Wild Dog with my right foot and repositioned my rod to face the other one.

I struck the side of the Wild Dog that was charging at Volf.

I seemed to have dealt a fair amount of damage.

But with the distance, I had some breathing room to choose a spell.

The initial set of common magic spells included attack spells that could be used from the start.

The Wild Dog at my feet continued to take damage from Volf's bite, and its HP bar disappeared.

Now, just one more to go.

Perhaps seeing the disadvantage, the remaining Wild Dog turned to flee.

"Force Bullet!"

An invisible mass of magic hit it from behind, sending it rolling.

Its HP bar didn't decrease much.

But the roll left it vulnerable to Volf.

Volf bit its hind legs and dragged it around, continuing to deal damage.

I closed the distance and jabbed its belly repeatedly with my rod.

Soon, its HP bar disappeared.

A small status screen appeared in front of me, and the status items blinked as I moved my gaze.

Base Status

Dexterity: 15

Agility: 15

Intelligence: 18

Strength: 12

Vitality: 15

Spirit: 19

What should I do?

If there were other party members, I might specialize, but now I only have Volf to rely on.

In combat, I often have the opportunity to strike with my rod.

I focused on the Strength value.

<Yes> <No> appeared as options.

Focusing on <Yes> changed the Strength value from 12 to 13.

This was the first step in character growth.

I briefly moved to <Yes> to look at the selection items.

Skills were roughly divided into weapons, defense, magic, production, and auxiliary.

But with so many items, I couldn't seriously choose.

...I should get advice first.

For now, I prioritized movement.

I confirmed that the remaining bonus points had increased from 19 to 21.

When I stabbed the Wild Dog with the skinning knife, its body disappeared in smoke.

No drop items remained.

The same was true for the other one. A pity.

From there, I continued west.

The scene from the hill where I wandered yesterday was intense.

I could see several parties roaming around, looking for prey.

They were hunting monsters with a vengeance.

But moving west would also lower the risk.

I walked along the road, keeping an eye on the target forest in the distance.

Horn Rabbits seemed to be popular monsters around the town.

I hunted them yesterday, and with the right tactics, I could defeat them alone now.

I wouldn't be unscathed, though.

Thanks to Volf, I managed to defeat five consecutive Horn Rabbits without taking any damage.

The drops, when identified, were two hides and three chunks of meat, and I had also picked up three horns.

[Material Item] Wild Rabbit Hide

Raw Material, Quality C, Rarity 1, Weight 1

Horn Rabbit hide. Untanned. A common small hide.

[Material Item] Wild Rabbit Meat

Raw Material, Quality C, Rarity 1, Weight 1

Horn Rabbit meat. Known for its wild flavor, but the meat is tough.

[Material Item] Wild Rabbit Horn

Raw Material, Quality C-, Rarity 1, Weight 0+

Horn Rabbit horn. The tip is sharply pointed.

These drops were my only means of earning money.

Neither Horn Rabbits nor Wild Dogs dropped money.

After defeating the third one and confirming the drop items, I received an information message.

Hmm.

They increased all at once.

Oh.

It seems summoned monsters can also increase their status values at level up, just like me.

A small status screen appeared in front of me, and the status items blinked as I moved my gaze.

Summoned Monster Volf, Wolf Lv1 → Lv2

Dexterity: 8

Agility: 25 (↑1)

Intelligence: 12

Strength: 10

Vitality: 15

Spirit: 10

He's certainly quick.

The Agility value already has a +1.

I moved my gaze to make it blink.

Oh, too bad.

It seems the status values increased by 2 points, but I could only choose 1 point.

I regret not having a clear development plan.

It's a dilemma.

What do I need from Volf now?

I want to enhance his striking power in close combat.

I focused on the Strength value.

<Yes> <No> appeared as options.

Focusing on <Yes> changed the Strength value from 10 to 11.

Volf seemed happy, or maybe it was just my imagination.

I might give him a treat.

Does Volf eat wild rabbit meat?

I opened the menu and searched for 'summon', 'monster', 'food'.

Oh.

I almost read the related items. That would have been dangerous.

Reading too much can make it hard to stop, which is one of my bad habits.

Not needing food is convenient.

But I don't think there would be a penalty for feeding him.

"Do you want to eat?"

I should test it practically.

I offered the wild rabbit meat to Volf, and he happily bit into it.

Hmm.

He does eat.

I waited, enjoying the feel of Volf's fur as he ate.

He gobbled it up quickly.

The wild rabbit meat was soon reduced to bones.

"Are you satisfied?"

I whispered to Volf, who was licking his mouth.

His tail was wagging. He seemed satisfied.

I'll give him treats occasionally.

When I tried to move, Volf had something in his mouth.

It was the remains of the wild rabbit, the wild rabbit bone.

[Material Item] Wild Rabbit Bone

Raw Material, Quality E, Rarity 0+, Weight 0+

Horn Rabbit bone. Only the bone marrow is edible.

Even if I identified it, I don't think it would have much use.

"Do you need it?"

Volf seemed reluctant to let it go, so I took the bone and put it in my bag.

Does he look satisfied, or is it just my imagination?

"Let's hurry on, then."

We continued along the road for a while.

I occasionally saw other parties hunting.

Parties were mostly targeting Horn Rabbits for their drops.

Hmm?

A party was fighting something that looked like a bird.

I tried to identify it, but the distance was too great.

Wait.

The distance seems to have closed, and I can identify it now.

Step Hawk Lv.1

Monster, Target for Elimination

The red inverted triangle marker above its head was not blinking.

It wasn't targeting us.

This hawk seemed to be targeting the back-row mage.

No, that's not right.

It seemed to be targeting something the mage was holding.

It was persistently harassing the mage.

There were five people in the party, but their attacks were not hitting.

They were hesitant to hit the mage.

The bird that had been pecking the mage's head grabbed something with its talons and flew away.

It was a chunk of meat.

I couldn't tell if it was [Identification] or [Appraisal], but the small window showed it was wild rabbit meat.

The mage, regaining composure, cast a spell, but it missed.

"Aaaaaa!! Give me back my meat!!"

A woman with a bow shouted.

I can understand her frustration.

The party must have had their Horn Rabbit meat stolen.

I should be careful too.

Oh?

My skill level increased without participating in the battle.

Is this allowed?

We continued west along the road.

I couldn't see the watchtower yet.

I saw fewer other parties.

I should encounter monsters, but they seem to avoid me when I'm ready for them.

But eventually, I would meet one.

I found a Horn Rabbit standing off the road.

The red inverted triangle marker above its head was blinking, and it approached me.

I identified it, and it was indeed a Horn Rabbit.

Horn Rabbit Lv.1

Monster, Target for Elimination, Active State

Hmm?

The display content seems to have increased.

It must be due to the level up in identification.

"Alright, let's go, Volf."

I wondered if we had become a bit stronger.

The battle dragged on.

That's strange.

This rabbit is quite tough.

With Volf, I should have the advantage, but it's not going down easily.

The monster's HP bar is just barely below half. Why is it so tough?

Why?

I made a mistake.

This rabbit's horns are not straight but slightly curved.

Is it a different monster?

I identified it again.

Horn Rabbit Lv.1

Monster, Target for Elimination, Active and Agitated State

Hmm.

Horn 'D' Rabbit?

Are the developers so silly as to create confusing monster names? (as a compliment)

I think this kind of play is good. Personally, I like it.

But I should focus on something else now.

What does 'agitated state' mean?

This rabbit initially had the same appearance as a Horn Rabbit.

But it has changed.

Its horns are more curved, and its body has grown slightly.

Some of its brown fur has turned dark black, forming stripes.

Its front teeth have grown into fangs.

I have a bad feeling.

Its eyes are bloodshot.

In the next moment.

Something seemed to approach, but it was gone in the next instant.

Two animal roars echoed.

I realized the rabbit had pounced, and Volf had attacked from the side.

It was close.

Volf was biting the rabbit's neck and trying to swing it around.

The rabbit, despite taking damage, was jumping around.

It was a battle of attrition.

I prepared to cast Force Bullet but couldn't find the right moment.

I couldn't risk hitting Volf.

Volf seemed to read my thoughts and released the rabbit's fangs as it jumped.

Now!

I cast the spell at the rabbit in mid-air.

"Force Bullet!"

The spell hit, but the HP bar didn't decrease much.

But the rabbit was blown back and landed on its back, leaving a large opening.

Volf attacked again.

He bit the rabbit's hind legs and slammed it into the ground.

Multiple times.

After that, I didn't need to do anything.

"Good job."

Volf's HP bar was not below half but seemed to have decreased by about 30%.

I took the potion from my pocket and applied it to his back.

He wasn't fully healed, but he had some leeway.

I had taken a few hits, reducing my HP by about 10%.

I didn't use the potion on myself.

I knew my HP would recover slightly over time.

When I stabbed the rabbit with the skinning knife, it left three drop items and disappeared.

Meat, horns, and a treasure.

[Material Item] Striped Wild Rabbit Meat

Raw Material, Quality C-, Rarity 3, Weight 1

Horn Rabbit meat. It is tough and inedible as is but contains wild power.

[Material Item] Striped Wild Rabbit Horn

Raw Material, Quality B-, Rarity 4, Weight 0+

Horn Rabbit horn. The tip is sharply pointed and the horn is curved.

[Treasure] Magic Stone

Magic Item, Quality E+, Rarity 2, Weight 0+

A material formed by the concentration of magic power in a monster.

The quality aside, the rarity was slightly higher.

It might be a rare monster in the initial field. It was unusually strong.

It wouldn't be a problem for a six-person party, though.

Further west.

I continued along the road, hunting Horn Rabbits.

When I saw the forest in the distance, it happened.

What?

Level up while moving?

The level up was for the summoning magic skill.

I hadn't used summoning magic.

No.

Perhaps just being with the summoned Volf was enough to gain experience.

I should check the help for the magic skill explanation again.

[Magic Skill] Summoning Magic Lv2

A magic skill to summon a monster to serve.

As the level increases, more powerful monsters can be summoned.

The summoned monster counts as a party member and grows with level ups.

*The longer you