Chapter 5

The monkey's marker is red, and it's definitely a monster.

The marker has a small marker on top of it, indicating that it's under a spell.

It seems to be in a state of诱导, I guess.

The monkey turned its eyes towards me and seemed to have identified me as an enemy.

It crouched down and glared at me.

I held the beginner's rod with both hands and got into a fighting stance.

I've never used a staff before.

But I've seen my grandfather do it.

I myself learned kendo from my grandfather when I was young.

Until recently, I was an amateur in mixed martial arts.

I'm used to fighting against people, even if it's in a simulated environment.

I had confidence in that.

Suddenly, the monkey leaped and attacked.

It was fast.

A speed that a human couldn't possibly achieve, leaving no time to attack.

Avoiding it was probably just a fluke.

"Keheh!"

The monkey laughed with a strange sound.

It seemed to be confident in its superiority and was mocking me.

You bastard.

I held the rod in a low stance and got ready to counterattack.

I then called up the spell list.

I selected a spell and immediately cast it; the spell was automatically chanted and completed.

"Physical Enchantment Wind!"

This monkey is fast.

I can't afford to fall behind its movements even a little bit.

The monkey leaped at me again.

I had seen the attack before but focused on dodging.

This time, thanks to the spell's effect or because I had seen it before, dodging wasn't a problem.

But I was caught off guard by the monkey's next move.

It threw a rock at me while charging.

I dodged the rock but couldn't avoid the monkey's charge.

Pain shot through my left shoulder.

I barely realized the monkey had bitten me.

Just a graze, and it had this much power.

I selected and cast a martial skill, a leg sweep.

However, the movement was different from what I had imagined, and I swung at the monkey's feet in vain.

I can't afford to leave an opening.

The monkey was closing in.

I thrust the rod at it, but it easily dodged, and we crossed paths.

In the process, pain shot through my right leg.

The monkey seemed to be confident in its advantage.

It laughed with a strange sound, looking pleased.

It seemed to be mocking me, thinking I was inferior.

You bastard.

I held the rod in a low stance and got ready to counterattack.

I then called up the spell list.

I selected a spell and immediately cast it; the spell was automatically chanted and completed.

"Physical Enchantment Earth!"

This time, the monkey didn't do a low tackle but leaped up.

I swung the rod upward from a low stance.

It couldn't avoid it in mid-air.

The tip of the rod hit the monkey's stomach, but it continued to attack, leaping over my head.

Not good.

I twisted my body to evade the attack.

The monkey still had a hold of my rod.

We were in a tug-of-war, but I was clearly at a disadvantage.

I was probably heavier and more muscular, but the beast's strength was formidable.

I held out in the tug-of-war until the next spell was ready.

As soon as the spell was completed, I let go and cast it at the monkey from close range.

"Force Bullet!"

In exchange for the monkey's smugness at taking my rod, it would take the spell.

I didn't expect much damage.

I just hoped it would create an opening.

The monkey turned its head away from the spell's impact and wasn't looking at me.

An opportunity.

I inserted my right hand under the monkey's right armpit.

With my left hand, I grabbed the monkey's right wrist and twisted it up.

I circled around to get behind the monkey.

The monkey reacted quickly.

I rolled on the ground, entangling the monkey's legs with my right leg, and we both fell to the ground.

I still had a hold of the monkey's back.

I twisted the monkey's right arm up and tightened my left hand around its neck.

My left hand grabbed my right hand, completing the lock.

If I could just tighten it, I might have a chance to win.

So far, so good.

The monkey's strength was stronger than I imagined.

Even with the lock, it was almost breaking free.

The only free hand the monkey had was trying to attack me.

It was thrashing around with all its might.

I wrapped my legs around the monkey's torso.

Using my back muscles, I tightened the hold.

The monkey resisted.

The more it resisted, the more my arms should have been choking it, but it didn't stop.

As a result, the lock was almost breaking.

I tightened my grip. There was no other way.

The situation was overwhelmingly in my favor, but it could turn around in an instant.

The situation was at a stalemate.

Or maybe it was in my disadvantage.

The monkey's HP bar hadn't decreased by 20%.

Its strength hadn't diminished.

I had no more attack options left.

Or maybe there was something else.

I couldn't use martial skills, but maybe I could use a spell.

My right palm was holding the back of the monkey's head. Maybe I could do it.

I selected a spell, and my lips automatically chanted it.

"Force Bullet!"

The moment it hit the back of the monkey's head, its body reacted as if it had been jolted.

The monkey's body stiffened.

I adjusted the lock on both arms to a deeper position.

Could I do it?

I tried to cast the spell again, but the monkey thrashed around wildly, and the spell didn't complete.

It didn't want to give me a second chance.

The monkey's HP bar hadn't decreased by 30%.

This was going to be tough.

No, my MP would run out first.

My MP was already below half.

Was there any other way?

Skills.

Could I acquire and enhance a skill?

While resisting the monkey's thrashing, I checked the list of skills I could acquire.

Weapon. No.

Defense. Magic. Production. Of course, no.

Support. This was my last hope.

The support skill I noticed was [Grapple]. It required 1 bonus point.

I immediately acquired and activated the support skill [Grapple].

How was it?

It felt slightly better, I thought.

The grip with my left hand felt more secure.

I pushed the monkey's head down slightly with my right hand.

The monkey started shaking its head, as if it didn't like it, but doing so only increased the damage.

It was perfect.

But I couldn't let my guard down.

I continued to tighten the hold on the monkey.

The situation was still at a stalemate, but the end was in sight.

Using my back muscles to tighten the hold, the monkey started to make strange sounds.

The HP bar was below half.

How much time had passed since the fight started?

When the monkey's resistance weakened, I tightened the lock even more and used my back muscles to tighten it further.

The muffled screams lingered in my ears for a while.

The monkey, in its final resistance, hit my legs and scratched my left hand with its free left hand.

At one point, the monkey's attack became unusually painful.

The effect of Physical Enchantment had worn off.

I probably needed to recast the Physical Enchantment Earth spell for increased defense.

I tightened the hold again.

I had to recast Physical Enchantment Earth once more.

I was sure the effective time of Physical Enchantment Wind was about 15 minutes.

It took quite a while for the monkey to stop breathing.

《Your victory in this battle has increased your Wind Magic level!》

《The weapon skill [Joint Lock] has been added to your available skills.》

It was a close victory.

My HP bar was below 30%.

My MP bar, though not depleted, was dangerously low.

My clothes were torn and dirty.

"I didn't expect you to win."

I could sense surprise in my master's voice, who had been watching silently the whole time.

If it wasn't just my imagination, that is.

"Anyway, let's recover first. I'll give you advice when we get back."

Saying that, he started to chant a spell.

"Earth Heal!"

My HP bar instantly recovered to full.

The pain gradually disappeared.

Recovering fully with one healing spell, what's up with that?

Is my master amazing, or am I too weak?

Regardless, I decided to loot the defeated monkey with my skinning knife and collect the items.

【Material Item】Snow Ape Skin - Raw Material - Quality C - Rarity 3 - Weight 2

Snow Ape skin. Hairy and thick.

【Material Item】Snow Ape Bone - Raw Material - Quality C - Rarity 3 - Weight 0+

Snow Ape bone. Light and sturdy.

The drop had a decent rarity.

I felt good about it.

If it hadn't, the battle wouldn't have been worth it.

"Alright? Let's head back."

The two automatons that were collecting items were sent back.

A lockbird immediately descended from above.

For some reason, it was holding a large lizard-like creature in its legs.

I squinted and inadvertently used [Identify].

Snow Wyvern - Level ??

Monster - Target for Elimination - Dead Body

Scary!

And it was holding a dead body in each leg.

The lockbird is strong!

"Wow, quite a catch."

My master said that and started to loot the body with the skinning knife.

It seemed he collected a scaly skin, fangs, and needles.

I was feeling a bit too confident after defeating the Snow Ape. Sorry.

The return trip was cold.

Thanks to the Cold Resistance, it was much easier.

I spent the travel time reading the help for skills, martial skills, and spells.

Through the battle with the Snow Ape today, I felt I had learned a lot.

I realized that adventuring alone was a daunting task.

I managed to defeat it because I had a few options left, but if I had panicked, I would have definitely died and respawned.

There were things I needed to know, at the very least.

I decided to read through the help screen while petting Wolf.

"We're here."

"Okay."

The lockbird disappeared upon arrival.

When we entered the basement of the house, my master went into another room.

It was probably a workshop. It was a very spacious room.

The ceiling was high.

It was filled with various items like pots and glass instruments.

There was even a cauldron and a furnace.

How does it vent in the basement?

"Put the burlap bags on this table. Let's have a meal after you're done."

"Okay."

I lined up the burlap bags containing herbs on the workbench.

The amount of herbs I collected was considerable, but thanks to the [Item Box], transportation was easy.

"Shall we make potions?"

"Lunch first."

I was indeed feeling hungry.

It was probably past noon.

This Another Link Saga Online seems to manage real-time, but the day and night cycle is reversed.

It's late at night in the real world, but it's no problem for me.

It's perfect for marathon play.

"Usually, we eat upstairs, but it's fine here, right?"

"It's fine."

My master clapped his hands.

After a while, a figure entered through the door.

Metal Skin - Level ??

Summoned Monster - ??

It looked like an automaton but was smaller.

The surface was undecorated and shone with a metallic luster.

It seemed to have brought the meal.

There was a portion for me as well.

My master had the same menu but in a smaller quantity.

Wolf was looking up with interest and frequently sniffing.

It was bread, vegetable soup, grilled fish, and fruit.

I held the fruit and used [Identify] to find out it was a regular pear.

"Let's talk while we eat."

"Okay."

The food was quite good, and the bread was surprisingly fresh.

While listening, I tried not to look away from my master.

Even though we went off-topic, I understood what my master was trying to say.

Rashness.

It seemed my master intended to teach me the folly of adventuring alone through practical experience.

I could understand that.

But for some reason, I felt a desire to accomplish it.

"No, I don't intend to live a solitary life."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"I want to help people in need and progress my adventure slowly. That's what I think now."

My answer seemed to surprise my master.

"I used to adventure with companions when I was young. I never adventured alone."

That makes sense.

If you're as strong as my master, it's not a problem.

"Many summoned monsters are primarily physical attackers. It's better for you to stay in the back."

"I've already decided."

"You're stubborn."

My master made a deliberately exasperated face.

Was that his true feeling?

"Then at least focus on evasion or defense to protect yourself."

"Okay."

That's something I want to improve.

"Also, consider your equipment. Summoned monsters can be great helpers in battle."

My master looked at Wolf.

"By the way, even as a beginner, you need to think about using multiple monsters effectively."

That's the point.

The number and types of monsters you can summon increase with level-ups.

The number of monsters you can summon is equal to the level of your summoning magic.

In my case, I can summon up to 2 monsters at level 2.

However, I can only summon one at a time.

To summon a new monster, I need to return Wolf with the [Return Monster] spell.

And I don't have enough MP.

I plan to decide what new monster to summon when I log in next.

"I'm not at the stage of worrying about what to summon next."

"You will, and definitely so."

I hope so.

"Leave the cleanup to this Metal Skin. I want you to help me now."

"Okay."

Making potions. I'm interested.

But what my master prepared was a large pot, probably made of copper.

He also prepared a smaller pot.

I took out five wound-sealing herbs from the burlap bag and placed them on the table.

Then he started to chant a spell.

"Liquid Water!"

Water flowed from my master's left palm into the pot.

It seemed to fill the pot halfway.

My master then held the five herbs in his left hand and closed his eyes as if concentrating.

"Short Reproduction!"

The herbs in his palm crumbled.

He transferred the contents to the smaller pot.

"Alright, the contents are ready."

What?

It's that easy?

My master took out several empty glass bottles from his item box and lined them up.

"What are you doing? Can you help me put the contents in the bottles?"

My master held two funnels and two ladles in his hands.

I felt like I was being tricked by a fox or a raccoon.

Main Character: Keith

Race: Human, Male, Race Level 3

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 2

Remaining Bonus Points: 11

Set Skills:

Staff Level 2, Strike Level 1, Kick Level 1, Summoning Magic Level 2,

Light Magic Level 1, Wind Magic Level 2 (↑1), Earth Magic Level 1, Alchemy Level 1,

Cooperation Level 2, Appraisal Level 3, Identification Level 2, Cold Resistance Level 1, Grapple Level 1 (New!)

Equipment: Beginner's Rod, Simple Clothing, Cloth Shoes, Backpack, Item Box

Items: Skinning Knife

Summoned Monster:

Wolf - Wolf Level 2