LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 9: - Encounter with the First Monster
*Step, step.* The wooden soles of geta sandals tapped against the stone floor. Anneliese was wearing geta sandals. Despite not planning to engage in combat, I couldn’t help but regret not buying her boots.
“I’ll handle the fighting, Anneliese. Please observe how I do it and let me know if you notice anything.”
“Understood.”
Even though I said that, it was our first time in combat, so I decided to prioritize safety.
I equipped a mithril two-handed sword and a steel breastplate using the Quick Equip feature.
“Huh?”
Anneliese let out a small gasp, and I tilted my head, wondering what was wrong.
“How did you manage that equipment?”
“What do you mean, ‘how’? It’s the Quick Equip feature.”
“Quick Equip? What’s that?”
She didn’t know about Quick Equip? Even someone as high-level as Anneliese? I guess it’s because the Quick Equip feature requires an item box.
“Quick Equip is a feature that comes with an item box. You can set your equipment there, and it allows you to instantly equip it.”
“I had no idea there was such a feature in the item box…”
She looked quite bewildered, but I had to make her accept it since she didn’t possess this skill.
“Also, about this sword, is it mithril?”
“Oh, you can tell? It’s a good sword, right?”
“Is my master a noble?”
“Huh? No, not at all. I’m just a commoner. I don’t even know any nobles.”
Indeed, I don’t have many acquaintances in this world. Besides Anneliese, there are Golteo, Luisneza, the inn’s staff, and the guild’s personnel. The people I’ve had some form of conversation with are limited, so it’s a gray area whether they can be considered acquaintances.
“Mithril swords are rarely seen. It’s strong, but having one might make you a target of envy.”
“R-really?”
“Yes.”
So, mithril equipment is dangerous, huh? Nevertheless, there’s no way I’m not going to use it. In a place as dangerous as a dungeon, you never know what might happen, so it’s only natural to maximize safety margins.
Now, Anneliese and I continued further into the dungeon. At the first crossroads, I asked her, “Which way should we go?”
“The left path has more monsters. Going straight ahead won’t take us too far, and the right path is about half the length of the left one.”
How does she know this?
“How do you know that?”
“I manipulate mana to extend my senses, allowing me to feel the reactions of the surroundings, including monsters and other adventurers.”
“Mana manipulation or mana sensing, you mean?”
“It’s mana sensing.”
“Can you also detect traps with mana sensing?”
“Yes.”
Traps contain mana, and by using mana sensing, she can detect them.
[Job] Mage Level 21
[Skills] Fire Magic (Intermediate), Null Magic (Intermediate), Mana Manipulation (Intermediate), Mana Sensing (Intermediate), Magic Power Enhancement (Intermediate)
This was Anneliese’s job and skills. Despite checking various people’s stats in town, there were only a few individuals with levels exceeding 20. Some had reached level 25, but I considered those outliers. Among them, only three had exceeded level 20 as swordsmen, lancers, or mages. I hadn’t seen the stats of all adventurers, but it seemed like leveling up was not so easy in this world.
Furthermore, only level-20 or higher characters had skills at the intermediate level. According to the Detailed Appraisal, it was difficult to raise skills to (High) or beyond, making (Intermediate) the highest level of skill proficiency, relatively speaking.
“Should we go right?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
Japanese people seem to like the middle path.
We walked a bit further, and Anneliese suddenly grabbed my arm.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, wondering if she was tired.
“There are monsters,” she whispered.
In the dim light, I couldn’t see any monsters.
“How far away are they?” I inquired.
“About 30 people away.”
What kind of distance measurement is that? Are they really measuring distance in this world like this?
“So, when you say ‘about 30 people,’ do you mean the distance between 30 people lying down?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
What is she even saying? I looked at her with a perplexed expression. People’s heights vary, so if you have 30 people ranging from 150 centimeters to 200 centimeters, that’s a difference of 15 meters. What’s the standard here? For reference, I’m around 155 centimeters tall. Thanks to that, I look like a girl. Anneliese is about 160 centimeters tall, slightly hunched over, but still taller than me.
Anyway, if it’s 30 people, it would be around 60 meters at most, or let’s say roughly 50 meters.
As we continued, a dark mass appeared on the path ahead.
“It’s a Grey Rat,” Anneliese said.
It was a grey rat about 50 centimeters long, with a tail of about 1 meter. Its eerie, glowing red eyes gave off an unsettling vibe.
**Grey Rat Level 1**
– HP: 68
– MP: 24
– STR: 9
– VIT: 8
– AGI: 11
– INT: 2
– MIND: 4
– DEX: 6
– ATK: 27
– DEF: 24
– MATK: 6
– MDEF: 12
When it came within about 10 meters, the Grey Rat sprinted toward us surprisingly quickly.
My legs trembled with fear. If I could defeat thieves, I should be able to handle this, right? I forced my courage to overwrite my fear.
“Take this!”
I swung my mithril two-handed sword at the charging Grey Rat. I had no skill or technique; it was just a swing, but the mithril sword effortlessly cut the Grey Rat in half.
“I did it…”
I didn’t feel the sensation of cutting the Grey Rat. It felt like I was just swinging the mithril two-handed sword. This was the power of the mithril two-handed sword, and I tightly gripped its hilt.
“Congratulations on your first monster defeat,” Anneliese said as she picked something up from the ground.
“It dropped some rat meat.”
While I was still in awe, it seemed the Grey Rat had disappeared, leaving behind an item.
Feeling a bit deflated, I sat down on the spot.
“That was… scary.”
“Everyone feels that way at first,” Anneliese reassured me.
“Anneliese, were you scared at first too?”
“Of course. I was terrified, and my legs wouldn’t move.”
Even a level 21 mage like her had experienced such moments.
Fortunately, I didn’t vomit. Perhaps I had grown somewhat accustomed to it during the thief incident, or maybe it was because monsters didn’t leave behind corpses. Nevertheless, I felt mentally drained. My hands holding the mithril two-handed sword were trembling.
“Everyone feels like that at first, but it’s better to swing your sword with less tension,” Anneliese advised.
“Is that so… I’ll keep that in mind.”
Before becoming a mage, Anneliese had used swords. She started as a Villager at level 4, became an Explorer at level 8, and then transitioned to a Swordsman at level 13 before discovering a spellbook at Swordsman level 13 and becoming a mage. So, she was quite skilled with a sword, and my movements probably looked amateurish to her.
But the drop item was rat meat. I’ve eaten meat a few times since coming to this world, but it can’t be this rat meat, can it? It didn’t taste bad at all, but now that I know it’s rat meat, I might not be able to eat it in the future. Yeah, I should stop thinking about it. Besides, I won’t ask about the ingredients when I eat meat.
“These rats drop a lot of meat. The meat we have at the inn’s breakfast comes from these rats.”
Why did she have to say that? I really liked that breakfast. From now on, I’ll stick to just eating fish…
Anneliese reached out her hand, indicating that I should take it. It seemed like she wanted me to stand up. It’s fine to hold hands, but if I put my weight on her, she might fall. So, I stood up on my own and thanked her. Anneliese looked somewhat sad, but it’s not like she had any grudge against the meat. She was just concerned about me.
“Let’s keep going. Sorry, but please put the dropped items in this bag,” I said, handing her the cloth bag. When it gets heavy, she can transfer the items to my item box and give me an empty bag.
Next, another Grey Rat Level 1 appeared. The guidebook I bought from the guild mentioned that only Grey Rats appear on the first floor. However, their levels range from 1 to 3.
Grey Rats are known for their quick movements and biting attacks. They don’t have any special attacks, making them suitable for getting used to combat.
“Take this!” I swung my mithril two-handed sword, and the Grey Rat disappeared, leaving behind rat meat.
So, this is what the effect looks like. During the first encounter, I was too focused on combat to see the moment they disappeared, so it felt fresh this time.
“My shoulders are still tense,” Anneliese pointed out.
“I see. I’ll be careful,” I replied. It’s challenging to notice this kind of thing on your own, so it’s helpful to have someone point it out.
The third one was also a Grey Rat Level 1. Thanks to the overwhelming attack power of the mithril two-handed sword, I defeated it in one blow. Anneliese’s feedback motivated me to make corrections during my practice swings.
Grey Rats were fast, but with proper observation, their movements could be anticipated. If the mithril two-handed sword landed a hit, it was an instant kill. So, my main focus was on making sure my swings connected. I tried to keep my shoulders relaxed to achieve that.
The fourth one received feedback as well, but by the time I defeated the fifth one, Anneliese stopped pointing out my mistakes.
I was getting into the groove. I pushed forward to make the most of this feeling.
Then, the seventh one. It was the first time I encountered a Grey Rat Level 2.
**Grey Rat Level 2**
– HP: 76
– MP: 24
– STR: 10
– VIT: 9
– AGI: 12
– INT: 2
– MIND: 4
– DEX: 7
– ATK: 30
– DEF: 27
– MATK: 6
– MDEF: 12
Compared to Level 1, except for INT and MIND, everything else had increased. STR, VIT, AGI, and DEX went up by one point each, and ATK and DEF had increased by three points each.
At that moment, I underestimated the difference in abilities. And that complacency would lead to my downfall.