Chapter 67

"Happy New Year.

I hope you have a good year ahead.

Logging in, it’s still before dawn.

Or is it just starting to get a little light?

The stars are shining beautifully, and the moon is sinking towards the west.

It seems to be a clear day.

[There is an operation information. Would you like to check it?]

Such an early morning for operation info.

I check the subject.

[Notice of Statistics Update: The data has been updated to the end of yesterday!]

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even looked at the previous statistics data.

Yeah.

I’ll go through it later.

After tidying up the luggage I couldn’t do yesterday, I leave my master’s house.

The summoning formation is for noon, with Crescent, Helix, Obsidian, and Onyx.

I’m supposed to visit Fina today.

I’ll head to the village of Legias a bit early.

The sunrise is beautiful.

Below me is a stray horse’s corpse.

It was an accidental encounter, but it seems my luck is good from the start of the day.

I can’t help but grin as I strip the hide and meat from the stray horse.

By the way, I have a few days to do as I please.

Going to tackle a dungeon, that’s good.

Accepting a quest, that’s good too.

Focusing on hunting, that’s good as well.

Yeah, that’s good.

I call another stray horse using the summon monster function and hunt it.

I had it keep me company for a little while.

I’m not having much trouble with stray horses anymore.

I’ve only faced one wild horse so far, but will I stop struggling with it too?

There was a time when it took me over 30 minutes to hunt a single stray horse.

Thinking about it, I must have gotten stronger.

When I arrive at the village of Legias, I head to the usual spot.

But the people cooking at Mio’s stall are not the usual faces.

It’s Adel and Irina.

Mio and Yuka are doing something diligently behind the stall, which seems to be equipment inspection.

Shinohara is manning the stall.

We greet each other with a nod.

I stand in front of Adel and Irina and speak.

"Hey, good morning, both of you."

"Morning!"

"Good morning."

"What’s up today?"

"We’re on cooking duty and staying here!"

"Mio and Yuka are going to the boss battle in the forest dungeon."

"Is it okay at Gerta’s place?"

"Let the cute ones go hunting!"

"They said we can do as we please for a few days because there’s some post-event cleanup."

I see.

They’ve been helping with cooking for a while, so they probably intend to use this opportunity to freely show off their skills.

I take the stew with plenty of mushrooms and bread from Irina and go behind the stall.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Hey!"

"Good morning."

"Going to challenge the boss in the deep forest?"

"Of course! We won’t be late!"

"It’s a bit hectic with Mio."

Mio is really pumped up.

I can understand why Yuka is smiling wryly.

I keep a bit of distance from Mio, who might start swinging her spear, and secure a seat.

I’ll finish my breakfast.

Oh.

I should appraise the food, right?

[Food Item] Stew of Mushrooms and Vegetables: Fullness +35%, Quality C+, Rarity 2, Weight 0+

A dish cooked with various mushrooms and plenty of vegetables in a pork bone broth.

It’s very filling.

Not bad at all.

With the bread, my fullness is over 40%.

While eating, members of the production guild, including Fina, start to arrive.

There’s even a dwarf I’ve never seen before.

His armor is leather, reinforced with ant mantis carapace.

His shield is a bulky thing covered in iron plates, and he has a mace at his waist.

A typical power fighter.

"Hello, good morning."

"Good morning. Let’s talk after we finish eating, okay?"

"Sure."

Fina sits across from me at my table.

Saki sits next to her.

Fey sits next to me.

Everyone continues eating.

Naturally, I finish first since I started earlier.

Hmm.

I have some time to spare.

I’ll check the statistics data.

I take out the data from the operation info and display it in a virtual window.

I look at the bottom of the raw data.

The total number of players is just over 18,000.

It’s increased, but it still seems low compared to what I’ve heard before.

Next, the number of summoners.

It’s increased to 49.

However, compared to the increase in total players, it hasn’t increased much.

I’m starting to see players with summoned monsters in Remto Town more often.

Considering that, having three summoners here is quite a high population density, isn’t it?

Next.

I’ll list the professions in order of the fewest number of players who have chosen them.

It looks like this.

Lumberjack (Woodcutter): 3

Glassworker: 5

Stonecutter: 5

Ceramic Worker: 6

Fisherman: 6

Lapidary: 8

Brewer: 10

Farmer: 17

Bard: 30

Summoner: 49

Alchemist: 58

Textile Farmer: 154

Pharmacist: 135

Merchant: 157

The number of lumberjacks is still low.

But it will definitely increase, especially since the winner of the tournament was a lumberjack.

In that sense, the number of fishermen will also increase.

Fey’s glassworker might end up in the lowest group.

Next.

I extract players who have learned multiple magic skills and list them in order of the number of magic skills they have learned, from the most to the least.

The one who has learned the most is 11 types.

There’s only one person in total.

Who’s the fool?

It’s me!

The next person has only 5 types!

I’m in a league of my own, aren’t I?

Hmm?

11 types, huh.

The 11th type I learned was time-space magic.

The 10th type was wood magic.

The moment I learned and activated wood magic, I should have been able to learn the high-speed casting auxiliary skill.

I’ll check the records to confirm the sequence.

Indeed, that’s the case.

Is the condition the number of magic skills learned?

Learn 10 magic skills.

It seems like a plausible condition.

However, before that, I obtained the spellbook title.

That might also be a condition.

Thinking about it, I obtained the spellbook title the moment I learned and activated lightning magic, which was the 9th type.

Is 9 types of magic skills the trigger?

That’s a bit hard to believe.

Is there another condition?

Hmm, it’s intriguing.

"Keith, sorry to keep you waiting."

"Yes."

"Today, our guild members are planning to challenge the forest dungeon’s boss in two teams."

"Two teams?"

"One team will form a union to clear it, and the other will support them."

"Wow."

"We’ll also test the new magic, including its usage."

"What about you?"

"I’ll go explore beyond the forest dungeon."

"Right. That’s a good idea."

She seems to be thinking about something.

What is it?

"The post you made yesterday has caused quite a stir. Is it okay?"

"Really?"

"Keith, you should pay attention to the bulletin board a bit more."

Fina smiles at me.

Mio glares at me.

Cut it out.

"I didn’t talk about it yesterday, but I have an idea about the high-speed casting skill."

"Coincidence. I was just thinking about that."

"You too?"

"Yes, I think we have the same hypothesis."

"Then let’s say it together?"

I nod in agreement.

Fina nods back.

Alright.

One, two, three!

"Number of magic skills!"

We said it in unison.

We both smiled.

"But high-speed casting is only possible after obtaining the spellbook, so it’s not certain."

"That’s true."

"Also, I have a hunch about the title of the spellbook."

"I wasn’t sure about that."

"It was the moment the total level of magic skills reached 30."

"Eh?"

I check the screen I had saved.

Indeed, the total level of magic skills was exactly 30 when I learned and activated lightning magic.

"Then, there might be more beyond that. Like higher titles?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe something at 50 or 60 total levels of magic skills?"

Hmm.

Indeed, the spellbook is not the final one.

It’s not a complete mastery.

No, in this case, it’s different.

It’s hard to imagine what higher titles would be like.

"Should we post this on the bulletin board?"

"I’m not sure."

"Eh?"

"Other players who can verify this won’t appear for a long time, right?"

"Probably."

It’s clear from the statistics.

Reaching a total level of 30 in magic skills will take time, but it’s possible.

Learning 10 types of magic skills can be achieved by pouring in bonus points.

But the burden seems too great.

For the high-speed casting auxiliary skill, it might be necessary to meet both conditions.

It’s a bit much to impose that burden just for verification.

"If the information won’t benefit all players, I think it’s better not to."

"Isn’t that overthinking it?"

"If it’s not, that’s fine. Lately, my intuition isn’t reliable. I’ll leave it up to you."

"Ah."

"Also, in the near future, the focus will be on what magic systems can be obtained with fire and wind, or fire and earth. I’d like to know if you can obtain them."

Fina leans in closer.

Across the table, but still.

"Right? There’s something I’d like to ask you."

An adult woman’s request.

I love it.

I can’t resist.

My eyes drift to her chest.

Mio’s gaze is becoming more dangerous, but I’ll ignore it.

"What is it?"

"The return home spell of time-space magic. You used it, right?"

"Yes."

"Was it useful?"

"It didn’t work inside the village of Legias, but it works outside."

"Then, how was the usage?"

"It uses MP equivalent to a level 3 attack spell, but it definitely makes travel easier."

"It’s a coveted skill for the dungeon clearing team."

Saki joins in.

"If Fina could take dark magic, it would be easier."

"Saki, I don’t have enough dexterity for that."

"That’s the problem. The synergy of auxiliary skills seems to be random at level up."

The discussion continues.

Indeed, if it’s just for teleportation, it’s reasonable for a front-liner to take time-space magic.

The back-liners can use MP freely for attacks.

When everyone finishes eating, Fina gives the order.

Saki seems to be the one providing additional explanations.

"Today, six of us will challenge the forest boss to obtain the Forest Guardian’s Proof!"

"Let’s confirm the teams. Tachibana in the center of the front line, with Mio and Rick on the left and right."

"The back line will be Fudou, Yuka, and Ren-Ren."

"Yuka and Ren-Ren will use their sub-weapons, but they can use their main weapons in the boss battle."

"The support team will be me, Saki, and Fey in the front, and Shinohara and Helga in the back."

"We’ll also test the new magic we obtained yesterday. Don’t forget to communicate with each other!"

"The stalls and stands will be managed by Reina, and temporarily by Adel and Irina."

Reina, Adel, and Irina raise their hands to show they understand.

"Everyone, check your equipment! Rick, please settle the items we obtained yesterday!"

"Understood."

"Don’t forget to include the recovery pills and the information fee."

"Got it."

Rick comes to me first.

I have all the items I want to sell ready.

There’s yesterday’s catch and today’s morning hunt.

Mio was eyeing the horse meat.

The amount is considerable.

Probably the most I’ve ever gotten.

It’s not a bad thing to have, so I’ll take it gratefully.

I also get two more meals of stew and bread from Adel.

The pot I use to store the stew is one I have for alchemy.

I put the stew in the smallest pot and use two larger pots to keep it warm.

I throw it all into the Item Box.

I plan to keep exploring until late in the evening.

Well, let’s go.

Today’s goal is beyond the forest dungeon.

I’ve only checked the west and south of the forest dungeon, but I have a clear path forward.

I haven’t even fought in the north, where I only encountered a frog.

I want to go.

After all, the plateau my master took me to is in that direction.

The Snow Ape is waiting.

It’s a tough opponent even now.

But it’s someone I want to fight.

The Branch Golem is still a formidable opponent, but it’s starting to feel a bit lacking.

The wild horse is a tough opponent, but I might not encounter one.

I think I can have a good fight with my current abilities.

I head into the depths of the forest.

It gets a bit tough with Crescent, so I return it.

I summon Kigitsune.

I encounter a striped tanuki and a wild silver fox (female), but there’s no problem.

I also use the divination spell of earth magic, Dowsing, to find some obsidian, which can be used to replenish Kigitsune’s arrows.

I should have enough arrows, but I’ll keep moving forward.

In any case, I can manage to make arrows myself, so there’s no need to worry.

Starting today, I’ll gradually start making arrows.

I enter the forest dungeon.

To get to the north, I only need to go through two corridors and three large rooms.

One of the large rooms doesn’t have any monsters.

I decide to go through without summoning Jericho.

I ensure my vision with Noctovision, and I won’t let Helix participate in the battle for a while.

I clear battles with five slimes and a group of four slimes before reaching the large room leading north.

It’s surprisingly easy to progress.

When I defeat the group of four slimes, I get the long-awaited level up.

[Your summoned monster ‘Kigitsune’ has leveled up!]

[Please add one point to any stat value.]

Hmm.

The stat that has already increased is dexterity.

I choose to increase intelligence for the optional stat boost.

Kigitsune: Oni Lv2 → Lv3 (↑1)

Dexterity: 18 (↑1)

Agility: 13

Intelligence: 10 (↑1)

Strength: 17

Vitality: 17

Spirit: 11

Skills:

Bow, Hand Axe, Small Shield, Block, Dodge, Stealth

This should be fine.

Next, I’ll align intelligence with spirit at 11, then work on the other stats.

Still, the dexterity is quite high.

Is it because I’m using bows and arrows?

It might be, but I’m not sure.

I head north in the forest dungeon.

I climb through the green corridor.

I reach a mountain slope covered with thick vines.

Should I climb this?

My main hope here is the flying Helix and the owl Obsidian.

The ground is too unstable for summoned monsters to run around.

I can somehow move forward myself, probably thanks to the climbing auxiliary skill.

The grip auxiliary skill might also be helping.

Of course, I don’t hold the rod; it’s in the Item Box.

Kigitsune follows without any trouble, even though it’s continuous tree climbing.

It can maintain its position with just its feet, allowing it to use its bow and arrows while climbing.

That’s pretty impressive.

But the monsters don’t care about my convenience.

The first monster I encounter isn’t the frog from before.

It’s this.

Wood Slug Lv.2

Monster, Target, Active State

It’s a slug.

It’s slimy.

I’m climbing a tree with both hands occupied.

The only thing I can do is swipe at it with one hand.

Kigitsune fixes its body with both feet and fires an arrow.

It’s skillful.

The arrow hits, but the HP bar doesn’t decrease at all.

Helix and Obsidian are also attacking, but it doesn’t seem to be effective.

It might be decreasing slightly.

Physical attacks don’t seem to work well.

Since it’s a slug, most of its body is water.

How do you get rid of it at home?

The standard method is to sprinkle salt.

The change in osmotic pressure causes it to lose water and die.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any salt.

What about my favorite method?

Place it on a heated iron plate in the sun.

It’s fun to watch it wriggle in agony