Chapter 42

"Yu~ Good morning~"

"......Good morning"

When I woke up, I found myself sandwiched between Nina and Rena on either side. No wonder I had a hard time sleeping.

I pushed them away and went to wash my face. Today, I have to accompany Nina and Rena in leveling up and take on collection and extermination quests to boost my own rank.

After yesterday's battle with the Goblin King, my level had risen to 25, Nina's to 24, and Rena's to 17.

When I told them this, Nina started to panic.

I thought she would be upset, but instead, she said she didn't want to be left behind by Yu and asked for help in leveling up.

"Delicious~♪"

Today's breakfast is a soup made with seafood and freshly baked bread. The soup is clear but has a rich broth, making the meal enjoyable. When I put butter on the bread, it melted smoothly, and the crispy texture when I bit into it was irresistible.

"......Yu, about yesterday's promise"

"I know. I'll go to the old man's shop first."

I calmed down the impatient Rena and finished my breakfast.

When I went to the blacksmith's shop, the old man was standing at the entrance, which was unusual.

"Old man, it's rare to see you outside the shop."

"Hey, good morning."

The old man greeted me, placed his hands on his waist, and leaned back. He was doing some kind of exercise, like radio calisthenics.

"You gotta move around sometimes or you'll get rusty!"

He laughed heartily. I asked the old man if he had any recommendations for Nina's short sword and Rena's cloak.

Nina's steel dagger had a chipped blade from yesterday's battle. Although it was protected by magic to prevent wear, it finally reached its limit. Rena's cloak was also torn by the goblins' attacks.

When I explained the situation to the old man,

"I have just the thing."

He ran to the back of the shop.

"Ha ha... Look at this..."

Sword Breaker (Level 5): Increased Sharpness

Obsidian Iron Dagger (Level 5): None

Sticker's Cloak (Level 5): Fire Resistance

"First, this 'Sword Breaker' is from the dungeon. An adventurer found it in the dungeon and brought it to me, saying it was useless and broken. Why did he bring it to my shop? Well, no one else would buy it.

But I thought it could still be useful if I reforged it, and it turned out even better than expected! Plus, it has the 'Increased Sharpness' skill.

Next, the 'Obsidian Iron Dagger' is made of the same obsidian iron as Yu's greatsword. As I mentioned before, it's incredibly durable.

The 'Sticker's Cloak' is made from the fur of Fire Rats, which live in the Fire Forest, and woven with the silk of Steel Spiders. It's also very durable. Most importantly, it has the 'Fire Resistance' skill."

"Then I'll buy all of them."

"Wow... You're buying everything without even asking the price?"

"The items are good, and it's the old man's recommendation."

The old man happily took the money.

He said he bought the 'Sword Breaker' at a low price, so he sold it for 15 gold coins instead of the usual 20. The 'Obsidian Iron Dagger' was 7 gold coins, and the 'Sticker's Cloak' was 5 gold coins and 7 silver coins. In total, he sold them for 2,770,000 Madoka.

Still, even though my income has increased recently, my sense of money has become a bit off.

"Yu, only the steel dagger's blade was chipped, right?"

"......I can pay for my own equipment."

"It's fine. I had some extra income."

The extra income was the reward from yesterday's Goblin King battle.

When Rena received the reward, she gave it all to me. She said she couldn't do anything and wanted to thank me for helping her, but even when I told her not to worry, she refused, so I accepted it.

At that time, Rena made a proposal, which I agreed to.

After shopping at the old man's shop, we went to the Adventurer's Guild to take on quests.

The quests we accepted this time are collection and extermination quests in the Great Forest.

When we approached the reception desk where Colette was, she noticed us and greeted us with a smile and a wave. The gazes of the surrounding adventurers, mostly men, were painful.

"Good morning, everyone! Thank you for your hard work yesterday."

"Good morning. Could you recommend some collection and extermination quests in the Great Forest?"

"Sure. For collection quests, I recommend basic herbs, magic herbs, Pokko flowers, and Moon grass. For extermination quests, Big Boos and Black Wolves are causing damage to crops, so there are always requests for them. If you go deeper into the Great Forest, you'll find Silver Wolves and Steel Spiders, which have high demand for materials, but these are dangerous quests with monster ranks of 4 or higher!"

Colette helped us select a few quests and we accepted them.

When she worried about our safety, the gazes of the surrounding adventurers became even stronger.

Colette is always bright and kind to everyone, so she is popular among adventurers, leading to such situations.

When we entered the Great Forest, Rena immediately deployed her 'Barrier.'

After yesterday's battle, she seemed to understand her lack of skill and was imitating my constant deployment of 'Combat Techniques' to increase MP.

"......Hehe, how's that?"

Rena looked at me with a smug expression.

She had deployed the barrier in a spherical shape to protect against attacks from any direction, but it was still weak.

"The barrier is uneven. Some parts are thick with magic, while others are thin.

A D-rank or higher adventurer would quickly spot the weak spots and break through."

"......Mmm, maintaining a spherical barrier is tough."

"That's why your MP increases."

I was deploying 'Combat Techniques' and 'Heaven's Net' myself.

First, 'Combat Techniques' is a technique that flows through the body... or is it fluid? I had been using it fluidly, but as I got used to it, I started to imagine the flow of blood inside my body to use the technique. It's quite difficult, but not impossible.

If I ever fight a front-line class, there will surely be some fools who mistakenly think they can't use 'Combat Techniques.'

My MP has been increasing daily. I think it's because I constantly deploy 'Combat Techniques' and 'Heaven's Net,' and I'm in a growth period. Even without leveling up, my MP and physical abilities have been improving.

"Ah, a Big Boo!"

Nina noticed the approaching Big Boo with her 'Scouting' skill.

Of course, I had noticed it too, but this time, the main focus is on leveling up Nina and Rena, so I will only provide support.

"Sorry~"

She said her usual silly battle cry and instantly appeared in front of the Big Boo.

"Huh!?"

The Big Boo was about 10 meters away, but Nina's movement was almost invisible.

The Big Boo panicked when it suddenly saw Nina in front of it.

Seizing the opportunity, Nina decapitated it. With her new, magic-protected weapon, the sharpness was incredible. Cutting off the Big Boo's neck, which was about 70 cm in circumference, in one strike is no easy feat.

"Hehe~ This dagger is so sharp~"

She seemed very pleased with her new weapon.

Rena, on the other hand, was sweating profusely from maintaining her barrier.

I checked Nina's status.

Name: Nina Leva

Race: Human

Job: Thief, Assassin

Level: 24

HP: 305

MP: 180

Strength: 141

Agility: 253

Stamina: 114

Intelligence: 73

Magic: 53

Luck: 22

Passive Skills:

Scouting Level 2

Trap Detection Level 2

Dagger Mastery Level 3

Stealth Level 3

Dual Daggers Level 2 (Up 1)

Assassination Level 2 (Up 1)

Active Skills:

Steal Level 1

Ambush Level 3

Trap Disarm Level 2

Stealth Level 3

Combat Techniques Level 2

Dagger Skills Level 3

Assassination Skills Level 1

Lockpicking Level 2 (Up 1)

Unique Skills:

None

Equipment:

Weapon: Sword Breaker (Level 5): Increased Sharpness, Obsidian Iron Dagger (Level 5): None

Armor: Steel Helmet (Level 6): Paralysis Resistance

Hard Leather Jacket (Level 6): Increased Defense

Hard Leather Gauntlets (Level 6): Increased Agility, Increased HP, Poison Resistance

Hard Leather Boots (Level 6): Increased Agility, Increased Strength, Increased Defense

Accessories: Ordinary Earring (Level 6): Increased HP Regeneration, Poison Resistance

Her 'Dual Daggers,' 'Assassination,' and 'Lockpicking' skills had all leveled up to Level 2. She had also added skills to her Hard Leather Gauntlets and Boots.

What caught my attention was that the 'Unique Skills' section, which usually says 'None,' was blank.

It's said that unique skills can be acquired later, so this might be a sign. I suspect it's related to the movement skill she used earlier.

Incidentally, Rena's status is as follows:

Name: Rena Forma

Race: Human

Job: Mage

Level: 17

HP: 86

MP: 314

Strength: 15

Agility: 19

Stamina: 21

Intelligence: 103

Magic: 116

Luck: 16

Passive Skills:

Increased Casting Speed Level 3 (Up 2)

Increased MP Regeneration Speed Level 1 (New!)

Active Skills:

White Magic Level 3 (Up 1)

Black Magic Level 3 (Up 1)

Barrier Level 2 (Up 1)

Unique Skills:

None

Equipment:

Weapon: Mage's Staff (Level 5): Increased Magic Effects

Armor: Triangular Hat (Level 6): Increased HP Regeneration

Mage's Robe (Level 5): Increased Magic Resistance

Sticker's Cloak (Level 5): Fire Resistance

Ogre Boots (Level 5): Increased Magic Resistance, Poison Resistance, Paralysis Resistance

Accessories: Yugu's Amulet (Level 5): Increased Defense

Ring of Life (Level 5): Increased HP by 50, Increased HP, Increased MP

Rena's level has increased significantly compared to before, but she still lacks strength and stamina.

However, for a 14-year-old, having Level 3 White Magic and Black Magic is quite impressive.

I also experimented with adding skills to the Ogre Boots and Ring of Life yesterday, and it was successful. Skills can be added to equipment that already has skills without any issues.

"......Yu, I need a Mana Potion."

Rena, with a pale face, asked for a Mana Potion.

"Alright."

This is part of our agreement. In exchange for the reward from the Goblin King battle, I provide Rena with Mana Potions.

Rena can use as much MP as she wants and increase it.

I can also level up my alchemy skills by creating Mana Potions, so it's a win-win situation. The materials can be collected in the Great Forest. I've been gathering herbs, magic herbs, Moon grass, and Pokko flowers since we arrived.

I'm only collecting high-quality items and not taking everything to ensure there's still some left for future collection.

"......I'm getting used to the barrier."

Rena's stomach was slightly swollen from drinking too many Mana Potions.

However, it's impossible for her to get used to it so quickly. Her face still showed no signs of ease.

"Hmm, then next, try supporting Nina with magic in that state?"

"......No problem. I'm a genius."

"Self-proclaimed."

By the way, Joseph, who usually stalks us, is following us today without stealth equipment. However, he is keeping a distance of about 100 meters.

He occasionally casts wind magic, but it is either dodged or negated.

As we continued through the Great Forest, various monsters like Goblin Soldiers, Ogres, Ogre Soldiers, and Murder Snakes appeared, but Nina quickly dispatched them.

Rena occasionally cast support magic, but maintaining the barrier seemed to be a strain, so she didn't cast many spells.

"Is this where we were yesterday~"

We arrived at the spot where we defeated the Goblin King.

There were several craters around, and the goblin corpses had been eaten by other monsters, leaving only bones.

The Goblin King's corpse, however, was untouched and still in the same state as yesterday.

While corpses usually start to decay a few hours after death, the Goblin King's corpse still looked fresh, so I decided to conduct an experiment.

First, I used a combination of earth and wind magic to blind Joseph, who was being a nuisance.

Joseph was shouting something about his eyes from a distance, but I ignored him.

Nina and Rena, curious, watched silently.

I used the 'Necromancy' spell I stole from the Great Ape to revive the Goblin King.

The Goblin King's eyes glowed red-black, and it rose.

"Go... go command... Master..."

Hmm, either my necromancy level is low, or something about being revived by necromancy, but the Goblin King's speech is more slurred than before.

"Do you have any memories?"

"Yes... but..."

"Do you remember me?"

"R... remember. Go command."

Does being revived by necromancy make the creature obedient to the caster? It has memories but no hostility towards me.

Nina looked at me with concern, while Rena observed with interest.

"Alright."

I picked up the nearby arm and leg and threw them to the Goblin King.

"What is this?"

I pressed the arm and leg onto the Goblin King's severed parts and used Heal.

To my surprise, the arm and leg connected without any issues. I thought white magic's Heal wouldn't work on the undead, but it did. I need to reconsider my understanding of white magic's Heal.

Incidentally, holy magic's healing spells would damage the undead.

I gave the Goblin King an iron sword that was lying nearby.

"I give you this command. Hunt the monsters around here, but do not be seen by adventurers or humans. If I need you, I will contact you."

"Understood."

The earless Goblin King answered and disappeared into the forest.

Before it left, I checked its status:

Name: Yaven

Race: Goblin King Zombie

Rank: 4

Level: 26

HP: 966

MP: 392

Strength: 371

Agility: 207

Stamina: ∞

Intelligence: 16

Magic: 193

Luck: 22

Passive Skills:

None

Active Skills:

None

Unique Skills:

None

Since I had stripped it of its skills, it had no skills at all. There were some changes in its stats.

What I wanted to know was whether a creature I had stripped of its skills could never acquire skills again or if it could relearn them.

To find out, I used the Goblin King for the experiment.

Through the magic link, the revived undead can share information, so it can gather information about the Great Forest even without my direct control.

Joseph's shouting could still be heard in the distance, but Nina and Rena seemed uninterested and ignored it...

Yu's current status:

Name: Yu Sato

Race: Human

Job: Magic Warrior, Enchanter

Level: 25

HP: 687

MP: 1016

Strength: 246

Agility: 197

Stamina: 259

Intelligence: 223

Magic: 250

Luck: 1

Passive Skills:

Sword Mastery Level 7

Strength Enhancement Level 6

Scouting Level 5

Dagger Mastery Level 3

Physical Enhancement Level 3

Agility Enhancement Level 2

Leadership Level 2

Staff Mastery Level 2

Martial Arts Level 3

Night Vision Level 3

Fire Resistance Level 4

Increased MP Regeneration Speed Level 5

Spear Mastery Level 3

Dark Resistance Level 2

Trap Detection Level 2

Stealth Level 2

Poison Resistance Level 2

Skinning Level 1

Shield Mastery Level 2

Increased Casting Speed Level 1

Half-Demon Eye Level 1

Staff Mastery Level 2

Active Skills:

Sword Skills Level 5

Combat Techniques Level 5

White Magic Level 5

Black Magic Level 6

Blacksmithing Level 2

Alchemy Level 5

Steal Level 2

Stealth Level 2

Appraisal Level 1

Dagger Skills Level 3

Staff Skills Level 1

Magic Sword Level 3

Martial Arts Level 3

Enchantment Magic Level 2

Roar Level 3

Magic Fist Level 3

Spirit Magic Level 4

Spear Skills Level 3

Lockpicking Level 2

Trap Disarm Level 2

Necromancy Level 1

Barrier Level 2

Shield Skills Level 2

Magic Awakening Level 1

Unique Skills:

Demonic Eye of the Otherworld Level 3

Plunder Level 3

Familiar Subjugation Level 3

Beast Killer

Enhanced Hearing