LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 10: - Carelessness Is The Great Enemy
“Ouch!?”
I was sent flying and crashed into a wall from the impact of the Level 2 Grayrat’s charge.
“Fire!”
I thought I heard Anneliese’s voice, and suddenly, my vision was engulfed in fiery red. The heat was intense enough to make my cheeks sting.
When I hit the wall, I struck my head, and my vision was spinning. Even when I tried to get up, it wouldn’t cooperate.
“Are you alright?”
Anneliese helped me sit up, and I felt pathetic for needing assistance from someone who looked like an old woman.
“I let my guard down.”
“No words needed.”
My AGI had only increased by one point, and I never expected that it would make me so much faster. My carelessness had led to this outcome.
“If Anneliese hadn’t been here, things could have gone south. I appreciate it.”
“It’s fine. Just be more careful from now on.”
I checked my status and found that my HP had decreased by 21 points. If I took damage like that three times, I’d be dead.
I only had a chestplate as my armor. I should have reinforced it more.
I could equip items on my head, both ears, neck, chest, both arms, both legs, right hand, and left hand. But my right and left hands were filled with Mithril greatswords. So, I only had the chestplate, making me quite vulnerable.
“I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t underestimate any opponent from now on.”
“Alright.”
The pain I felt from the impact had already subsided within a minute. I also experienced some dizziness right after hitting my head, but that, too, quickly faded away.
It seemed that because these conditions were tracked via HP, they recovered quite swiftly.
“Was that magic from Anneliese?”
“Yes. I can use fire and non-attribute magic. This time, I used fire magic to defeat the Grayrat.”
“That was quite an intense heat. It means the spell is very powerful, right?”
“I’m Level 21, so there’s no need for me to hold back against the monsters on this first floor.”
Yeah, that’s true.
“Are wizards strong even at Level 1?”
“I think they’re reasonably strong. But since you have Mithril swords, I believe you’re as strong as a Level 10 wizard at least.”
If I were equivalent to Level 10, I wouldn’t be lagging behind the monsters on this first floor as long as I didn’t let my guard down.
“Alright, let’s keep going.”
“Okay.”
I left the scouting to Anneliese’s magical sensing, but I also decided not to rely solely on her. Even though I couldn’t understand it fully, I’d keep my guard up.
“Monsters ahead. Distance: 30.”
“Got it.”
Thirty units away meant thirty people. Her magical sensing covered around 50 to 60 meters.
Next, well, from now on, I wouldn’t let my guard down. I calmly checked their levels. It was a Level 1 Grayrat.
Regardless of whether they were Level 1 or Level 2, I wouldn’t let my guard down. I just had to swing my sword.
“Here goes!”
With a single blow, I took down the Level 1 Grayrat. Its movements were clearer now. I wanted to believe that this experience had made me stronger.
For the 10th one, a Level 2 Grayrat appeared again. Time for revenge.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat. The sound of the Grayrat’s footsteps was rhythmic and efficient.
It was even faster than the Level 1 Grayrat. I’d say it felt about 10 to 20 percent faster. But I wouldn’t let my guard down anymore.
“Ha!”
As it pounced towards me, I swung my Mithril greatsword horizontally. The Grayrat’s lifeless body, split in two, vanished.
“It’s a rare drop.”
Anneliese held a sharp tooth on her palm.
“These are sharp front teeth.”
Just as it is, huh.
“These are used for arrowheads and such.”
“Hmm? You don’t use bows?”
“The military does.”
“The military?”
“The nobles and the country’s army. Bows are effective weapons.”
“Are there archers as a job?”
“Yes, there are. Archers are considered to be quite skilled in their profession.”
In the military, archers received slightly better treatment than swordsmen or spearmen. It was said that one needed to have a considerable amount of wealth to become an archer, which meant that sons of wealthy families often pursued this path.
“Commoner kids become swordsmen or spearmen and confront the enemy up close, while rich kids shoot arrows at the enemy from afar. Swordsmen and spearmen are more likely to die, while archers have a better chance of survival. There are those kinds of underlying reasons as well.”
“…It’s a harsh reality.”
When swordsmen or spearmen formations fell apart, archers would quickly flee, she said. But wasn’t it wrong for archers to escape just because enemies got closer? Anneliese explained that it was because archers were weaker at close range, so they didn’t want to waste their lives needlessly. Did that mean it was fine to sacrifice the lives of commoners?
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a commoner or an archer. It’s all about having the financial means.”
I’ll say it again, it’s a harsh world.
Nobles, on the other hand, often chose to become knights alongside archers. Being a knight was a job, not a title. The Knight job excelled in both offense and defense, and it was considered a prestigious profession. It seemed that front-line fighters were popular, even among those with prestigious jobs.
“Master, once you become a Level 10 swordsman and receive an invitation to join the nobility or the army, what will you choose?”
“Level 10 is the entry level for the army?”
“The military doesn’t see much actual combat. Training increases your level, but it’s still minuscule compared to real battles. That’s why they scout high-level individuals from the start.”
“Level 10 is considered high level?”
“A Level 10 swordsman would be equivalent to a Level 30 villager, at least. Due to their skills, even with this level difference, swordsmen would overwhelmingly outperform villagers.”
That’s right; I remember Detailed Appraisal mentioned that villagers were weak.
“Anneliese, were you invited to join the army?”
“I was, but I chose to continue as an adventurer.”
That explained how she reached Level 21.
“Is the army treated better?”
“It depends on the floor they’re assigned to, but adventurers probably earn more. However, joining the military ensures a stable income. Unlike adventurers who are always in battle, there’s less risk of getting injured.”
“But there must be wars, right?”
“We haven’t had any wars for over a decade. Considering that, many adventurers prefer the stability of income.”
True, if there were no wars, then having a stable income might be better.
“By the way, aren’t there jobs to eliminate bandits?”
“Swordsmen and spearmen are clearly stronger than bandits. If you gather an equal number of bandits, they won’t be much of a threat.”
It was easier for the military to gather numbers, and if necessary, nobles could collaborate to eliminate bandits. Apparently, the nobility in this country had quite a good relationship and were willing to cooperate when needed.
We shouldn’t talk too much inside the dungeon. I ventured further in search of monsters.
“Monsters ahead. Turn left at the crossroads, it’s right there.”
“Got it.”
That day, I defeated 20 Grayrats, and my level increased by one.
Villagers gained experience points evenly, but since it wasn’t a combat job, I didn’t earn much experience from battles. It seemed that combat-focused jobs leveled up more easily.
“The reason you were able to defeat 20 Grayrats on your first day, Master, is thanks to that Mithril sword. Normally, you’d surround them in a party and attack them multiple times.”
I knew that, but hearing it directly made me feel less confident. Still, I had to be grateful to Anneliese for saying such things without any arrogance.
When I returned from the dungeon to the surface, I took a deep breath of fresh air and felt a sense of liberation.
No matter how you looked at it, a dungeon was a confined space, so I found comfort in being able to see the sky.
I went to the Adventurer’s Guild to sell the drop items.
I had 20 pieces of rat meat and one sharp front tooth—Anneliese had defeated one, so it was a total of 21 items.
The total cash amounted to 1,100 Grills. The meat sold for 50 Grills each, making 1,000 Grills, and the front tooth was worth 100 Grills.
It was an income equivalent to 11,000 yen for a day’s work. I thought it was quite a lot for part-time work, but I had an elderly woman to support.
I didn’t know how much it cost for accommodation, but if I paid for lodging and meals, I probably wouldn’t have much left. I should have said it earlier, but I was grateful to Golteo for covering my lodging expenses.
However, once a month passed, I would have to pay for my own lodging. I needed to earn more.
When you have equipment, you not only have to pay for the initial purchase but also for maintenance. While Mithril swords had automatic repair, regular equipment didn’t have such convenient features.
If the durability reached zero, both weapons and armor would become unusable. So, I would have to take them to a blacksmith for maintenance. It cost money, but ensuring that my equipment was in good condition was non-negotiable. It was just too frightening to think that it could be destroyed in just three hits.
When I left the guild, the sun had already sunk considerably below the horizon. There weren’t many streetlights, so it was difficult to walk around at night. I decided to return to the inn. Tomorrow, I would go buy some armor.
I had a meal at the inn, returned to my room, and wiped myself down with water. Anneliese wiped my back. I also wiped Anneliese’s back, but there was absolutely no excitement when your partner was an old woman.
Anneliese offered to wash my clothes, so I accepted. I could cook, but I had no idea how to do laundry, so it was a big help.
While she was doing that, I decided to check my status. My level had increased, but I couldn’t see any increase in my abilities. It made me want to swear at the situation.
“Hey, Anneliese.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“My level went up, but my abilities haven’t improved at all. Do you know why?”
“Can you see your abilities?”
“Yeah, I can.”
“Can you use Appraisal, Master?”
“I can use it, but why?”
“Sigh…”
Anneliese let out a deep sigh and turned her gaze slowly toward me. Her eyes looked lifeless.
“Can you see your abilities?”
“Yes.”
“You have Unique Skills, don’t you?”
“Yeah… I have two.”
“As I mentioned before, having Unique Skills is rare.”
Anneliese continued with an exasperated tone.
“Please try to keep your Unique Skills hidden as much as possible.”
“Okay, got it.”
“You don’t have any other Unique Skills, right?”
“Just two.”
Hearing my answer, her hands began moving as she resumed washing.
“Villagers don’t see much improvement in their abilities even as their levels increase. You might notice a difference when you reach around level 4, but that’s about it.”
Watching Anneliese talk while doing the laundry, she started to look like a hardworking grandma.
However, while I had heard that villagers didn’t grow much, I hadn’t realized it would be this bad. I wanted to change my job to Swordsman as soon as possible.
Huh? What’s this?
As I was checking my jobs, I noticed there was a job called “Explorer.”
The acquisition condition was to defeat 20 monsters solo when first entering a dungeon.
“I’m glad I defeated 20 of them…”
“Did you say something?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Since Explorers can level up through combat, I decided to change my job from Villager to Explorer.
【Job】 Explorer Lv1
【Skills】 Dungeon Move (Low), Treasure Hunter (Low)
【Unique Skills】 Detailed Appraisal (Low), Item Box (Low)
Dungeon Move allowed me to shortcut through the dungeon, but I could only move to places I had been before. It was convenient, but only to a certain extent for me, as I hadn’t even defeated the boss on the first floor. I thought it might become a god-tier skill as I climbed the floors.
On the other hand, Treasure Hunter seemed useful. It allowed me to sense the presence of nearby treasure chests. I wanted to encounter a treasure chest soon, or rather, I wanted to see what was inside.
Ah, I figured out the source of my discomfort earlier!
If I checked my stats, I could confirm my abilities even without using Appraisal. Why did Anneliese think it was Appraisal?
“Um… Anneliese.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know about stats?”
I asked nervously. I was surprised at how jumpy I was myself.
“I’ve never heard of them.”
“I see…”
Was I the only one who could use stats? Maybe the other people summoned here could use them too?
Since Anneliese sighed again, I decided to keep quiet about it for a while. Timing was crucial for these kinds of things. Yeah, I’d go with that approach.