Chapter 3

Today, I received my daily quest to gather medicinal herbs. As usual, the guild master's attitude is terrible. I'll get back at him someday!

I have no problem with the location of the herb cluster, as Grandma Stella has told me where it is. The herbs grow back in about a week, so even if I gather them every day, it's fine as long as I gather from different spots.

What I need to be more careful about are the monsters.

In this area, there are goblins. Goblins are about the size of a human child, with green skin and ugly faces. They have an abnormally high reproduction rate, and there are daily quests to hunt goblins. They are said to kidnap human women to reproduce, making them a prime example of a despised monster.

Some goblins are equipped with clubs or knives, and while they aren't particularly strong, they are a significant threat to me.

Just as I was about to fill my basket with herbs, I heard something.

"Guu!? Kyaa!"

"Yaaaaaaah! Hahaha!!"

I cautiously approached the source of the sound and saw three goblins fighting a human.

The human fighting was Hage. Despite facing three goblins, he had a relaxed expression and was toying with them as he killed them. When I focused on the goblins, their stats were low, and their only skill was a passive one, Reproduction Level 3.

When I focused on Hage's movements, I saw something like a mist. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a mistake; he seemed to be enveloped in something.

I was curious about what it was, so I kept watching and noticed something. Hage's MP was gradually decreasing...

The goblins were already down to two.

"Die! Double Thrust!!"

At that moment, Hage's movements sped up, and he struck the goblin's neck and abdomen twice in an instant, killing it silently. Hage, laughing, cut off the goblin's ear and walked away, seemingly satisfied. He also collected some fragments.

I had heard from Grandma Stella that magic exists in this world, but I confirmed through his stats that Hage cannot use magic. Moreover, when he shouted "Double Thrust," his MP decreased by at least 5.

I checked my own stats.

Name: Yu Sato

Race: Human

Job: None

Level: 1

HP: 10

MP: 2

Strength: 3

Agility: 4

Stamina: 4

Intelligence: 22

Magic: 1

Luck: 1

Passive Skills: None

Active Skills: None

Unique Skills: Otherworldly Magic Eye Level 1

My level hasn't increased, but over the past month of gathering herbs, my HP, Strength, and Agility have improved from going back and forth in the mountains.

Looking at the MP section, my MP is 2. If what Hage was enveloped in was magic, maybe I can do it too. I gathered the remaining herbs and hurried home.

After receiving the reward for the herb-gathering quest, I returned home and immediately started practicing to envelop myself in magic.

"Grnnn!"

I tried to focus, but nothing happened... Maybe I can't do it without a job? Or maybe it's just because I have too little MP. I couldn't tell.

I concentrated on my body... looking... looking... looking... I started to get a headache from focusing too much.

A week had passed... I still couldn't do it. I went to the village and secretly peeked into the guild. Inside were Hage and his party members.

"Hahaha! I killed the goblins instantly again!"

"Hey, Hage, don't overdo it and wipe out all the goblins. We'll have nothing to eat!"

"True. But to be honest, the monsters around here aren't challenging enough for us!"

"Right. I've heard there are thieves around here lately. Maybe we should take their treasures?"

I focused on the four idiots, trying to find any hint about the mist.

Looking... looking... looking... looking... Huh?

As I focused on their stats, I noticed something. When I focused on the HP section—

[HP: Vitality. If this reaches 0, you die.]

I could see more detailed information. I focused on the MP section.

[MP: The power needed to use magic and combat skills. It can also be used to enhance physical abilities. Mental Power]

(Oh!!!) I was right. I returned home and checked the other sections.

[HP: Vitality. If this reaches 0, you die.]

[MP: The power needed to use magic and combat skills. It can also be used to enhance physical abilities. Mental Power]

[Strength: The physical power you possess. The higher it is, the heavier objects you can lift.]

[Agility: The higher it is, the faster you can move.]

[Stamina: The higher it is, the longer you can move.]

[Intelligence: The quality of your mental functions. The higher it is, the more it affects advanced magic.]

[Magic: Affects the power of magic. The amount you can release at once.]

[Luck: Governs fortune and misfortune.]

[Passive Skills: Skills that activate just by knowing them.]

[Active Skills: Skills that require activation. Activation requires MP.]

[Unique Skills: Skills that cannot be learned through jobs. They can be innate or acquired.]

I understood the content of each section. I also noticed something else.

My Unique Skill, Otherworldly Magic Eye, had reached Level 2. It might have leveled up because I focused on it for a week. Thanks to this, I could see more detailed information about stats.

It took another two weeks, but I finally managed to envelop myself in magic.

The effect of enveloping myself in magic... all my physical abilities increased in every category. The effect was so significant that I was happy, but there was also a problem.

My MP is too low, so it runs out quickly.

Increasing my MP and finding efficient ways to use it are my future challenges.

Today, Grandma Stella taught me how to butcher animals.