Chapter 10 - Level Up

I approached the teenager. And as I passed the fallen Peshroom, I swung my short sword to cut Peshroom's right leg. Then, the two of us dashed away, leaving the four Peshrooms behind.

"What are we going to do now?"

"You saved me and you ask me what should we do next? Don't you think about a plan when decided to save me?"

The red-haired teenager turned to me, his blue eyes looking at my eyes. He, who was about fifteen years old, opened his mouth to say, "Actually, I only make a plan to take you out from that encircle, nothing else."

I nodded. "Are you able to deal with a Peshroom?"

The teenager opened his eyes wide then put on a serious expression. He prepared his short sword and shield before saying, "yes, I can do it!"

"Good," said I, who then looked back. Seconds later, I look at the teenager again. "Three Peshrooms! I'll face the two on the right. You're facing one on the left, okay?"

"Okay."

"Let's split up! Three, two, one!"

With my words as a sign, we ran in the opposite direction. The teenager approached his target and I did the same.

I quickly knock down one of the two Peshrooms with a kick as soon as I got in front of them.

"Suu!"

After dealing with Peshroom A, quickly, I swung my short sword to attack Peshroom B. 

This time I only had a little problem because I was already quite used to this new body and Peshroom's attack patterns.

I can cut off Peshroom B's arms faster and easily. I kicked the monster until it fell. Then I faced the Peshroom A who had come to attack me.

"Su su!"

I dodged and we trade attacks. Minutes passed and successfully, I cut off Peshroom A's right arm and injured its right leg. I knock down the monster and then stabbed its body until it died.

I looked around and I knew the teenager handled his fight well. I'm sure he can defeat his enemy. 

Peshroom B had a hard time standing up because it lost two of its arms. On the other hand, Peshroom C approached me with a limping pace.

I still have time before Peshroom C arrives in front of me. So, without hesitation, I walked up to Peshroom B.

"Su! Su!"

"Your pleas are meaningless," I said to the monster before I stomp on and stab its body.

After Peshroom B died, I faced Peshroom C. Like the other three Peshrooms, I was able to defeat this injured Peshroom C easily.

"Huff... Huff... It's quite exhausting."

This feeling, the throbbing muscles, reminds me of my school club life in past days.

"HYA!"

"Suu!"

Two screams caught my attention. I move my head and in there, I saw the teenager thrust his short sword into Peshroom's body.

The monster fell to the ground and It did not move anymore. That became a sign that the teenager won the fight.

"Haa... Haa..."

The teenager fell to his butt. Just like me, he was exhausted. 

I walked up to the teenager and I said, "My name is Eclaite, what's your name?"

The young man looked at me and whispered, "as I expected."

Things he said made me tilt my head slightly. I was at a loss to understand what he meant.

"My name is Alan."

"Oh! Alan! What a good name."

"Right, I've heard that phrase a dozen times."

"Has anyone else used that compliment on you? What a bit of luck. By the way, thank you for helping me."

"No problem," he replied. Then he stood up. "What will sis Eclaite do next?"

"Well... I want to make money by hunting down the monsters that roam this place. But now... I don't think it can be done."

"Why?"

"Since no Drop Items are coming out of that monster's body."

"What is a Drop Item?"

Ah! That's true... The people of this world don't understand such terms. Therefore. "Drop Items are Magic Stones, pelts, meat, and so on."

"I understand now," said Alan, nodding. "The drop item sis Eclaite is referring to won't just come out. We have to take it ourselves."

Again, I tilted my head slightly. I had a problem discerning the meaning of Alan's words.

"It's quicker to show it than to explain it," said the teenager who then approached Peshroom's corpse. He unsheathed his dagger and then began splitting the monster's body. 

I was surprised to see what he did. My fox ears twitched and I asked, "What are you doing?"

"Take the Magic Stone out," replied Alan who then showed me a red stone.

Right and of course! I'm in the real world! To obtain material from a monster, I had to pick it up manually! And it's a shame, I can't do that! It's quite gross!

"Can you help me to process the other monster's corpse, Alan? As a token of gratitude, I will give you forty percent of my total hunt."

"Sis Eclaite still wants to hunt?"

"Yes, at least until I level up."

Alan was silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Okay, I'll help you."

"Good! And by the way, how many coins will we get when we sell that Magic Stone?"

"Ten to fifteen bronzes, depending on the weight."

So... I need ten Magic Stones to get one silver coin and I need nineteen silver coins! One hundred and ninety Magic Stones... yeah, I don't think I can get that much today.

"Oh! Is there any other part of Peshroom that can be sold?"

"This part, the monster's head can be used as medicine. The Adventurer's Guild bought it ten bronzes per kilogram. As for his body, ordinary people used to use it as foodstuffs, five bronzes per kilogram."

Ugh! I don't have a bag to carry Peshroom meat! And the money I'll get is too small! It's a small-paying job.

What am I supposed to do now? 

"Haa... I can think about it later. Now, it's hunting time. We'll start the hunt after you finish taking their Magic Stones."

"All right."

Thus, Alan and I started looking for another Peshroom. We were going to hunt together but unfortunately, I couldn't send the Party Invitation to the teenager.

I've tried different ways and I haven't been able to open the Game Menu.

"Sis Eclaite, it's good that you stop playing around. We don't know what danger will befall you if you keep making strange hand gestures while saying... What? Words for a spell? Is sis Eclaite trying to use Magic?"

"No... And Alan, please forget what I did earlier, okay?" I turned my reddened face away as I said that sentence. But, my twitching ears, clearly showed my shame.

Swinging my left hand while saying Menu Open, Status Screen, Options Screen, and something like that must be weird in the eyes of people in this world.

"Okay, I'll forget about it."

That answer made me breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, time passed... For a few hours, Alan and I hunted together. With the ability we have, we managed to defeat twenty Peshroom.

And yes! That number can't give me nineteen silver coins. But luckily, because of this hunt, I became more accustomed to my new body. And better yet, my level went up.

< Level up! 2 to 3 >