LGHTNOVELBOOK Volume 1 Chapter 3 - First Frontier
After listening to Mr. Asakura’s explanation, I went to the second floor and bought the cheapest sword for 50,000 yen. The sword was a short sword about 70 centimeters in length, and it was light.
Honestly, I feel insecure about it, but I can’t help it because I don’t have money.
When I went down to the first floor, I waved to Asakura-san, who seemed to be free, and headed towards the passage at the back.
As I walked down the passage, I could see a large gate.
“So this is the gate…”
I’ve seen pictures of it in textbooks, but of course, this is the first time I’ve seen it in person.
I’ve heard that the gate is 10 meters wide and 20 meters tall, but it’s really big.
And above all, it’s pitch black beyond the gate and I can’t see anything.
“That’s scary…”
I respect the person who first went through this gate.
It’s impossible for me.
However, I know it’s safe, so I keep going.
Then, I went through the gate.
The other side of the gate was a different world.
There was a corresponding gate behind me, but there was a plain spreading out on both sides and a road in front of me.
And there was a forest at the end of the road.
“So this is the Forest of Eden…”
With the gate, if you specify a location in your mind, you can jump to various places.
Of course, I can only jump to the land that Japan is renting, but on the other hand, I can jump anywhere from any branch office if it’s the land that Japan is renting.
I chose the Forest of Eden, which is known as a beginner’s place.
Of course, the profits are lower than other places, but I can’t help it because I’m a beginner who doesn’t even have proper armor.
First, I need to get used to it.
First, I jump on the spot.
Then, I felt lighter than usual.
“Is this the blessing of magic?”
Apparently, when you come to the Frontier, you gain magic power.
As a result, your physical abilities improve compared to when you are on Earth.
Next, I drew the short sword attached to my waist and swung it.
Then, it felt lighter than when I swung it at the weapon shop, and the swing was smooth.
“It’s better than when I was in high school. It’s amazing to surpass an 8-year gap.”
Well, it would have been even more amazing if there was no gap.
When I put the short sword back in its sheath, I looked around at the ground.
“Let’s see… Status card, status card… Here it is!”
When I looked around the ground, I found a black card fallen right behind me.
When I picked up the card, I read what was written on it.
Name: Hajime Okita
Level: 1
Job: Swordsman
Skills:
≪Swordsmanship Lv5≫
☆≪Alchemy≫
Hmm, a swordsman, huh?
Well, I use a sword, so I’m a swordsman.
And I have level 5 in swordsmanship.
This is quite amazing.
Swordsmanship level 5 was written on the internet as expert level.
As expected of me.
However, this is not a new skill I’ve gained, so it doesn’t matter.
What concerns me is…
“What is alchemy?”
Am I an alchemist?
Well, my job is a swordsman though…
“I think if I tap it, I can see the details, right?”
I tapped on the part about alchemy as I had heard at the seminar.
☆≪Alchemy≫
You can consume materials and create new things.
Recipes increase as the skill holder’s level increases.
Level 1
Healing Potion Lv1, Gender Transformation Potion
Sleeping Potion, Pure Water
Hmm, it seems pretty amazing.
“But why do I have a skill like alchemy?”
Apparently, it’s common for people to have skills from the start.
If you originally have a skill, it becomes a skill.
In fact, my swordsmanship would be an example.
But I don’t know anything about alchemy.
“And what is this star mark? Is it a special skill?”
If so, I’m lucky.
“Let’s try it out for now… Uh, for the healing potion, I need herbs and pure water… I can make pure water. Uh, for pure water… any water will do.”
So, what I need is herbs.
They say herbs grow in the Frontier.
“Alright, let’s look for them!”
I cheerfully entered the forest.
And then, 5 minutes after I started looking for herbs…
“Which one is the herb?”
I don’t know…
“That’s right. Let’s check it on my smartphone!”
I take out my smartphone.
“……… Yeah, I’m out of range! I knew it!”
This is hopeless…
I’ll consider this skill when I get back.
I can probably buy herbs on the internet.
“Even so, what are the other items?”
Well, I understand the sleeping medicine.
It’s a sedative, right?
The problem is the gender change potion.
From its name, it seems to transform your gender…
If I drink it, I’ll become a woman.
If Asakura-san drinks it, she’ll become a man.
Hmm, I don’t need that.
Its only use seems to be for sneaking into places like the women’s bath or changing rooms.
“Well, at least let’s check the necessary ingredients! I don’t have any ulterior motives though!”
Let’s see!
The sleeping medicine is… made from sleep herbs and salt.
No, the sleep herb alone would probably be enough to put someone to sleep!
So, then!
Peeping… No!
The gender change potion is… huh?
“Water and flour?”
Huh?
Are we making okonomiyaki or something?
“Can you really change your gender with such ingredients… huh? Wait. Should I report this to Asakura-san?”
Suddenly, I became serious.
If you think about it, even the sleeping medicine smells criminal.
I wonder if they’d believe me if I said it was for people with insomnia?
But I guess, she wouldn’t agree to have a meal with me.
I mean, right?
Would you want to have a meal with a guy who can make sleeping pills?
If I were a woman, I wouldn’t go.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s think positively. First, I’ll defeat the monsters and collect the drops.”
I don’t have any money.
So I gave up searching for medicinal herbs and decided to hunt for monsters instead.
The monsters that appear in this forest are slimes, goblins, and wolves.
Well, I get a general idea just from their names, and I’ve heard they’re not that strong.
However, I’ve also heard that the wolves’ ambushes are a bit tricky because you can’t see very well in the forest.
“Well, let’s go…”
I began my exploration of the forest, scanning my surroundings as I delved deeper into the woods.
Then, I noticed a rustling in the bushes.
I brought my right hand to the hilt of my sword, lowered my stance a bit, and waited.
After a while, a gel-like creature about a few tens of centimeters in size that you could almost hear making a “poyon” sound effect appeared from the bushes.
“A slime, huh…”
It’s clearly a slime.
It doesn’t have a mouth, eyes, or horns, but it’s a slime.
Slimes are said to be the weakest of the weak, capable of nothing more than body slams.
Even so, I didn’t let my guard down.
Any enemy is dangerous when you see it for the first time.
I quietly drew my sword and took a proper stance.
The slime was slowly crawling towards me.
The next moment, the slime jumped and tried to body slam me.
Calmly, I swung my sword lightly at the flying slime. The slime was cut in half.
Then, leaving behind a piece of grass as a drop item, it vanished in a puff of smoke.
“Yep, definitely weak.”
Anyone could probably defeat this.
Even a child could if they tried.
“What’s this?”
I picked up the drop item, a piece of grass, and examined it.
“Hmm, it’s not just weeds, I have a feeling this is a medicinal herb.”
But I don’t have any proof, and if I’m not careful, it might be a poisonous plant.
I don’t think I can make a poison potion, but just in case, it would be better to have it checked at the guild.
I thought about moving on, but I stood still with the grass in my hand.
“…I don’t have a bag to put the drop items in.”
I didn’t bring anything.
I realized I didn’t even bring any drinking water or food.
“I’ve underestimated this…”
I failed to consider and prepare properly.
“It can’t be helped. This was just a trial run, let’s go home.”
I crammed the grass into my pocket and decided to turn back the way I came.
“Ah, now that I think about it, I might get lost…”
I hadn’t gone so far into the forest that I would get lost, but considering the future, it’s a necessary precaution.
Especially since smartphones don’t work in this world.
“Asakura-san, you should have explained this…”
I decided to blame everything on Asakura-san.
As I was muttering complaints and retracing my steps, I saw the grass rustling again.
It didn’t look like the slime from before in terms of size.
I waited still on the spot.
This time, a small creature wielding a knife came out.
It had pointy ears, an ugly face, and green skin. It was a monster.
“It’s clearly a goblin. Come on, bring it on.”
When I beckoned to the goblin, I don’t know if it responded to that, but it ran at me and attacked.
I timed it, stepped in, and in that same motion, cut off the goblin’s head.
The goblin, now headless, collapsed on the spot and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
And it dropped the knife it was holding as a drop item.
“A knife, huh… It definitely looks cheap.”
I muttered as I picked up the dirty knife.
“Well, it’s fine. Let’s go home.”
I couldn’t put the knife in my pocket, so I held it in my hand as I turned back.
When I returned to the gate, I walked through it and returned to the guild.
My first adventure ended in less than an hour, due to the ridiculous reason of forgetting my bag.