Volume 1 - CH 5

Chapter 5 – Magic Power and Next Goals

Morning, huh…?

I wake up refreshed. It seems that some of the adventurers around me are starting to get up, so it seems like a perfect time to get up. I head to the well, take in the laundry, get ready, and leave the inn.

Oh, I see that the food stalls are already open. Since I’m here, I might as well buy some breakfast and go hunting. If I get up around this time of day, there will be fewer people and more food stalls. It might be convenient. Early bird gets the worm, right?

I bought breakfast and set out for the southwestern meadow. Come to think of it; I would like to practice daily life magic. Most people can use it if they can perceive magic, right?

I try to find a feeling in my body that I’ve never felt before. …I’m not totally sure. Maybe it’s impossible to do while walking.

I kept trying until I reached the meadow without giving up, but I couldn’t perceive any magic power. Maybe I should ask at the guild. But it seems like everyone else can use it, too, and I’ll look bad if I ask. I’ll practice slowly before going to bed today, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll ask at the guild. Now that I’ve arrived at the meadow let’s just focus on the hunt.

I’m getting used to hunting. I had captured two horned rabbits and was draining their blood when a party of adventurers walked up to me.

“Good morning.”

I was nervous, but I greeted them.

“Good morning. Are you hunting horned rabbits?”

“Yes, are you all going to the forest?”

“Yes, that’s right, but you’re not equipped for anything, are you? You’ll die if you underestimate a horned rabbit, you know?”

“I’m thinking of buying a beginner’s set today, but I’m a little short on money, hahaha…”

I try to cover it up with a smile. But, as the Onee-san at the reception desk said, it seems impossible to be without any equipment.

“Well, it looks like you can hunt horned rabbits without any difficulty, but if you get hurt or see goblins, you should escape immediately. We’re outside the city; you never know what might be out there.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

“Well then, take care.”

It was the first time I had a conversation with adventurers. They were friendly and seemed to be concerned about me. But they seemed to be very strong. Since the people who go to that forest are mostly new graduates to mid-career, those people are probably also new graduates to mid-career… I don’t think I can make it as an adventurer. Well, I don’t have any money right now, and there is nothing else I can do, so I’ll just hunt horned rabbits.

I found a horned rabbit, summoned a ship, hit it, drained its blood, sent back the ship, and repeated it endlessly and mindlessly.

“I’m hungry. How many rabbits am I hunting now?”

When it was well past noon, I got bored and counted the horned rabbits. …34 rabbits… I reached my goal. Surprisingly, I achieved my goal quickly. But I couldn’t find anyone else hunting horned rabbits. I think it is quite profitable, but I wonder why there is no one else. I should check with the guild.

Oh… 34 rabbits don’t fit in the bag. What should I do? I carried the bag and tied the rabbits together with grass vines growing in the meadow. It was awkward, but I managed to hold it. It is embarrassing, so let’s go to the guild as soon as possible.

“Excuse me; I would like to sell 34 horned rabbits, please.”

I managed to get to the guild, being laughed at by people on the street. I was so embarrassed that I went straight to the purchasing counter without checking the quest board.

“Oh, wow, that’s a lot of them. We’re glad you brought in so many horned rabbits.”

“Aren’t horned rabbits popular? I’m making quite a lot of money, after all.”

“I don’t think so. The newcomers are usually in a party, so the efficiency will inevitably drop if the number of people increases. Also, if you use a sword or a spear, it will have a big scratch on it, and the purchase price will be at the lowest price of five copper coins, which is another reason why they are not popular. On the other hand, your way of killing them is bludgeoning them to death. Since there are no wounds other than blood drainage, the price is a little higher, so I think that’s why you make quite a bit of money.”

“Indeed, I beat them with a wooden stick. Are the parties consisting of newcomers usually hunting goblins?”

“Goblins are easy to spot, and all you have to do is bring the right ear and the magic stone. They are more popular than horned rabbits because they are more numerous and less time-consuming.”

“I see. Well, I’m a solo hunter, and I don’t think I can handle goblins, so I’ll be earning money with horned rabbits for a while. So please take care of me.”

“Hahaha, I appreciate that. Okay, 34 rabbits for 8 coppers each, that will be 2 silver coins and 72 coppers in total.”

“Please do.”

After the purchase, my balance is 336 copper coins, which is enough to buy a beginner’s set. Let’s go buy it right away.

＊＊＊

“Welcome. Do you want to take the beginner’s set?”

“Yes, a beginner’s set, please.”

Oh, it’s the cute shopkeeper from yesterday. I’m a little glad she remembers me.

“Would you like to equip it here?”

“Yes, please. Here is one silver coin.”

It is a little difficult to move when I put it on, but I am happy to feel like a proper adventurer.

“It suits you… How about a weapon?”

Weapons? I hadn’t thought about it. I usually just carry a dismantling knife; should I at least have a sword? But I can’t use a sword.

“I’m currently using a cudgel of sorts as my weapon of choice.”

“Oh, you’ve made a good choice. I only asked you because you didn’t seem to have a weapon, so I hope none of that bothers you.”

“Is the cudgel a good choice?”

“Yes, it allows you to take your distance, and you can inflict damage by striking and thrusting. Many newcomers choose swords, but swords are surprisingly difficult to use.”

“Swords are cool, aren’t they?”

Swords and cudgel… I would choose a sword, too, if I could afford it.

“Yes, that’s why they are so popular.”

“Thank you very much.”

Now that I’ve got my equipment, the next step is… I’m hungry, but I’ll hold off until dinner at the inn. I was planning to look up skills, right? So let’s go to the reference room.

“Do you mind if I take a look at the documents?”

“You were here yesterday, weren’t you? The points to keep in mind remain the same, so please do.”

“Yes.”

Well, it looks like the only book about skills is… Basics of Skills. Let’s read it quickly.

…So there are skills that you are born with and those that you acquire through training afterward, huh? It seems that the skills that you are born with are easier to level up.

It seems that only about 1 in 10 people are born with the skills, and only a few get the useful skills.

In order to get the necessary skills, for example, swordsmanship, you can get it by practicing swordsmanship. When you get a swordsmanship skill, you get an extra ability in regards to swordsmanship, and the higher the skill level, the bigger the extra.

Would I get any skills from using an oar? Like an oar skill? Could it be a cudgel skill or a spear skill?

It seems there are a lot of things that are unknown about unique skills. They say that people who have them are rare and that unique skill holders hide the fact that they have them, so there is extremely little information about them.

Unique skills are powerful. On the other hand, there are some unique skills whose usage is unknown, and they are all mixed up.

Some unique skills have levels, and some do not, and many of them have special conditions for leveling up, so it is not uncommon to end one’s life without finding a way to raise them.

Hmm… two unique skills seem to stand out quite a bit. Language comprehension has no levels, and I know how to use it. For ship summoning, I know how to use it. Since I haven’t leveled up, I don’t know the requirements for leveling up yet, but I haven’t used it enough, so I guess I’ll hold off.

“Thank you very much.”

I thanked the clerk and left the reference room. Today’s schedule is now well ripe, so let’s go back to the inn and think about things.

＊＊＊

“I’d like to stay another night, please. Dinner included.”

“Okay. That’ll be 15 coppers.”

“Yes.”

Whew, I’ve come to feel at home in this room, even though it’s a big room. There’s still time before dinner. Let’s practice some daily life magic.

I try to relax and take a zazen-like sitting position. Breathing slowly, I try to explore the power I’ve never felt before in my body.

Hmm, I’m not sure. Is this the right way to do it? Maybe I’ll ask at the guild tomorrow. They might think it’s suspicious, but it’s hard to spend pointless time.

I’ve got my equipment ready, and I want to take on some requests tomorrow, so I’ll just ask. Even if they get a little suspicious, I can just run away when push comes to shove. But I should at least think of an excuse.

I ate dinner, wiped myself off at the well, washed my clothes, and returned to my room.

I wonder what I will do from now on. First of all, I want to take requests, so I will check the guild’s quest board first thing in the morning, and while I’m at it, I’ll ask briefly about magic power… If they suspect anything, I’ll withdraw immediately.

Other than that… my balance is 226 copper coins, or at least I got the bare minimum I need, right? Then I guess I could either move to a private inn or buy a rubber boat with the ship summoning.

I could buy a cheap rubber boat and move to a private inn, but I’d want a slightly nicer boat anyway. A nice rubber boat could do what I’m thinking.

Besides, considering all the fighting and floating on the water, I want this big fishing rubber boat. The price is a little high (2 silver coins and 40 copper coins), but it is cheap compared to other big rubber boats. I want two of these.

One is for fighting, and the other is to have a small wooden hut made to match the boat, which can be installed on the big fishing rubber boat to create a simple resting place that can be called upon at any time. Since I am an adventurer, there will be times when I will be camping out, and I want to get this done as soon as possible.

A wooden hut to match the boat’s outer frame shouldn’t cost that much… maybe. Well, plans for a wooden hut boat will have to wait a bit. It would be more efficient to find a store that can build it for me while I save up the funds.

I am almost certain that I will buy myself two big fishing rubber boats. Now I can either save and hang on in this big room until I can build a wooden hut boat, or I can move to a private room and take it easy and save money…

I’ve made up my mind; I’ll stick with the big room! If I move to a private room, I’ll just go back to sleep; it’s a different world I’m not used to. I should get what I think I need as soon as possible. I’d like to take on a request tomorrow, check my status and go to sleep already.

Name: Wataru Toyomi

Age: 20

Occupation: Ship’s Captain 

Level 6

Physical Strength: 200

Magic Power: 18

Strength: 22 

Intelligence: 32

Dexterity: 28

Luck: 15

Skills:

Language Comprehension (Unique)

Ship Summoning Level 1 (Unique)

I’ve killed 34 rabbits, but my level has only increased by 1. Maybe it’s harder to get in experience-wise when I’m only hunting horned rabbits. …I think I’ll go to sleep now. Good night.

Balance: 2 silvers, 21 coppers.