Translator: Cryus Editor: Weasalopes
I was hunting all morning.
Yup.
I was really enjoying it.
I guess it"s a little misleading to say this, but fighting has become easier with Lambda around.
It"s really convenient for me.
I could feel myself becoming more relaxed.
Since I could afford to take it easy, I felt like trying out some of the spells I"d never used before.
I fought a few battles using both melee and magic.
I made sure to leave the last Snow Ape in each group for Lambda to help him train his sleeper holds.
A few of my skills leveled up while we were hunting monsters.
《【Steam Magic】Level Up!》
《【Lava Magic】Level Up!》
《【Light Magic】Level Up!》
《You have learned a【Light Magic】spell: Illusion!》
《You have learned a【Light Magic】spell: Light Explosion!》
《【Physical Fortification】Level Up!》
《【Cold Resistance】Level Up!》
《【Identify】Level Up!》
That was easy.
I spread my use of offensive elemental spells as evenly as I could.
The Ice spell, Freezing Bullet, seemed to be ineffective against the Snow Apes.
I also managed to get a good grasp of the effectiveness of other elemental spells.
Force Bullet（Universal）
Gravity Bullet（s.p.a.cetime Magic）
Confusion Blast（Light Magic）
Dark Stare（Dark Magic）
Fire Shot（Fire Magic）
Wind Cutter（Wind Magic）
Stone Bullet（Earth Magic）
Water Needle（Water Magic）
Thermal Expansion（Dust Magic）
Volcanic Shot（Lava Magic）
Steam Shot（Steam Magic）
Thunder Arrow（Lightning Magic）
Freezing Bullet（Ice Magic）
Branch Arrow（Tree Magic）
These are my single-target offensive spells.
I used them in that order. It was a lot of work to test them all.
I guess I"m reaping what I sow.
Though after using the spells, I got a good feel for them.
Whether it"s the ease of use, range, amount of damage, or the activation rate of status effects…
Each of the spells are different.
Thermal Expansion is the easiest spell to use.
The one with the longest range is Wind Cutter.
Fire Shot hits the hardest.
There are spells each with different status effects, but Gravity Bullet would be my choice.
That sums up my opinions.
Although I"d like to add that Force Bullet has the extra benefit of having an extremely short casting time.
So which of these is the best?
I honestly can"t say.
The real problem is whether I"ll be able to use each spell to my advantage.
Actually, I think my favorite spell is Gravity Bullet, since I"ve been using it so much.
I may even be biased toward it.
Also, I"ve learned a new Light spell.
Illusion would be the spell that creates a double image of the user. I saw that in the Battle Tournament.
Light Explosion would be the AOE version of Confusion Blast.
Now I have a good collection of offensive AOE spells.
It"s only going to get even more confusing for me from here on.
「Oh, I"ve gained a Racial Level.」
Lambda has been gaining levels very quickly.
It"s only natural, considering the number of enemies we"ve been fighting.
We"ve already gotten used to the fact that Snow Apes can call their allies.
I think I"m starting to figure out when it happens too.
At first, I thought that they do it when they"re low in numbers, but that"s not true.
Rather, the chances of it happening increases as time goes by.
Though it just seems that way. I"m not completely sure yet.
All I really need to do is focus on eliminating them as soon as possible.
Plus, we didn"t have to fight as many monsters today as we did yesterday.
It wasn"t too easy, but we managed to fight at a normal pace.
Looks like we can keep up that pace in the afternoon.
The other players in the area are fighting while staying close to the shrine.
I think we can manage it as long as we avoid getting into chain battles.
And the situation will improve as long as we"re leveling up.
Plus, if we can travel from this area to other areas, then this will be a good hunting spot.
I looked around to a.s.sess the situation, then decided to head back to the shrine.
After finishing lunch, I asked Lambda about today"s progress while we were still resting.
He told me that there were a few players who had been revived at the shrine, although that number has decreased.
But they stopped dying after they formed a Union and killed some monsters.
As the number of parties continued to grow, so did the monsters cease focusing on a single party at once.
Forming a Union seems to have been going well for them.
As a result, the players at the shrine have been hunting monsters proactively.
Right now, all of the hunting parties are coming back for lunch.
Even as I"m glancing around casually, I can see more than 10 parties.
There are more players here now.
But the number pales in comparison to the total number of players.
Now I just need to confirm our schedule for today.
Since we"re camping at the area portal today, I"ll need to buy enough Portable Food for everyone.
「I take it we"re picking up where we left off in the morning?」
「Yeah.」
I"ve been using a shortsword all day yesterday.
But what about swords?
If I"m wielding a sword in one hand, then the Weapon Artes I"ve learned should have a few changes.
I could probably put them to use when wielding a shortsword.
But I only have training in the katana, not a western-style sword.
Traditionally, katanas are meant to be wielded with both hands, and are used by slicing and thrusting.
It"s possible to use them with only one hand, but the swinging movement is awkward.
It takes a lot of training for someone to wield a katana in one hand like Miyamoto Musashi did.
It"s definitely impossible for me.
You need a wrist that"s as flexible as a whip.
And you need to put in a lot of strength in a short time to land a strike.
Flexibility and strength training tend to cancel each other out, so it"s a lot of work.
I remember my wrists becoming increasingly less flexible when I was training my grip strength.
When it comes to one-handed slices, even a downward swing aided by gravity would take all of my strength.
Well, I guess it could work if all katanas were made like Heshikiri Hasebe. 1
In comparison, western swords are meant to be used in a different way.
You would use the weight of the sword to slice your opponents.
Or, one could say, to crush your opponents.
The one-handed sword that Lambda is using is actually shorter than a katana in terms of the length of the blade.
But it"s much thicker.
He shouldn"t be able to use the same skills when wielding a katana.
I wondered if I was really helping.
That"s why I decided to simply demonstrate.
I showed him how I fought a Snow Ape using a wooden katana.
「A katana? I think I"d like to try using it.」
Lambda voiced his thoughts.
Well, I guess it"s fine if he"s simply relying on the skills built into the game.
It would be a lot harder if he was relying on his own skill.
Maybe even impossible.
「You can stick to using swords. I just wanted to show you that any weapon can be used as reference for another.」
「What do you mean?」
You could use a sword as a longer version of a shortsword.
Especially when it comes to thrusting.
And of course, you could use a sword like a blunt weapon.
As a slashing weapon?
I wouldn"t really recommend it.
But just learning a few reversal techniques should be enough.
The theory itself is simple.
You catch the opponent"s strikes by using the flat side of the blade, then move your body to the left.
Next, you lower your blade just slightly, letting your opponent"s strike pa.s.s through.
Then you strike back at your opponent.
It takes a lot of strength to reverse your wrist like that, but I"m sure Lambda can do it.
After that, I switched to a wooden sword.
It was too heavy for me to wield in one hand, so I used both hands instead.
With a single blow, I split open the ape"s skull.
「You did that without using skills?」
「Maybe it"s because I counterattacked?」
But I know that"s not true.
It"s a reversal technique.
I"ve used it with naginatas and staves.
My grandfather often told me…
Starting with a Reverse Dragonfly stance, focus your strength around your collarbone, then strike your opponent.
Use it with a heavy sword, if possible.
It may not seem like an orthodox reversal technique, but it really is useful in crushing opponents.
It"s even a little frightening.
I remember him telling me each and every time. Don"t hit the enemy, beat him.
I can only manage one or the other.
I must be a failure in my grandfather"s eyes.
I"m really glad that I could show off using a wooden katana.
At least I can hide my lack of skill.
Lambda"s fighting style has changed a little.
He"s stopped using Dual Wield.
He"s using a one-handed sword while focusing on his stance in his upper body.
He"s also been switching between a sword and shortsword periodically.
It"s a good pattern.
In fact, it"s kind of scary considering the fact that he"s been relying on Dual Wield and his own skill until now.
Just how many groups of monsters have we killed?
We"ve encountered groups of Black Bears, even though I haven"t used Call Monster at all.
We took them down without any problems of course, but I"m not enjoying this.
They"re not the ideal target practice for Lambda"s sleeper holds anyway.
At least, that"s what I thought, but Lambda has been able to finish off the bears using sleeper holds anyway.
He"s really strong.
And scary.
《【Joint Lock】Level Up!》
《【Grab】Level Up!》
《Your Monster Summon『Goki』has leveled up!》
《Please add 1 point to a desired stat.》
Goki has leveled up.
I was just beginning to wonder when it would happen.
His AGI has already increased.
I"m going to add 1 point to his INT.
Goki Demon Lv4→Lv5（↑1）
DEX 18
AGI 14（↑1）
INT 11（↑1）
STR 18
VIT 18
SPI 11
Skills
Bow Handaxe Buckler Block Evade Hide
「Gegeh!」
He"s making some noise.
Somehow I get the feeling it isn"t out of joy.
But something unexpected has happened.
Lambda is leaving early today.
Well, I guess it"s a little inaccurate to say that.
It"s more like an emergency.
「I"m sorry. Something came up.」
「An errand?」
「It"s the PKK Forums. There"s something going on there that I can"t ignore.」
「Oh?」
Information?
That"s important indeed.
No matter how strong you are, you won"t be able to catch your target if you lack information.
I, for one, should take my relationship with this PKK player more seriously.
「They"re asking for my help. I may not be able to come back for a while.」
「Don"t worry about it. Do what you need to do.」
「Thank you.」
It"s important to have friends.
But I"m not one to talk, since I"m mostly alone.
In any case, I have a lot of time to spare.
I suggested using Return Home to drop Lambda off, but his meeting takes place at night.
He can make it if he leaves now.
I really wouldn"t mind doing as I suggested.
But I"m not one to insist, so I let him have his way.
He told me that he"ll send me a short message to let me know when he"s reached town.
I"m sure he"ll run away if he encounters a group of monsters anyway.
I guess I don"t have to worry about him after all.
It"s 4 pm now.
I"m hunting Snow Apes while keeping my current party of Monster Summons.
The number of monsters in this area has decreased.
Just how many monsters have I killed so far?
I feel like a ma.s.s slaughterer now.
There are fewer monsters on the list for Call Monster for sure.
I"m just going to continue hunting monsters that are further away from the shrine.
I"ve been using potions to heal, so I haven"t been spending too much MP.
And the fact that Rig is here helps a lot.
Plus, the Snow Apes and Black Bears are barely doing any damage against Jericho.
It"s like I have 2 tanks in my party.
Goki and I are continuing the hunt at our leisure.
《【Kick】Level Up!》
《【Throw】Level Up!》
《【s.p.a.cetime Magic】Level Up!》
《Your Monster Summon『Senki』has leveled up!》
《Please add 1 point to a desired stat.》
And I was only fighting unarmed.
I guess I remember using some throws occasionally, but I know I"ve been breaking the monsters" joints a lot more.
I"ll leave that aside for now.
Senki has leveled up.
Senki"s fighting style has been a cause for concern lately.
I think he"s been using throws very frequently.
I guess it"s fine, since Rig has been shielding him from damage.
Oops.
I need to focus on adding his stats.
His AGI has been increased automatically.
I"m adding 1 point to INT.
Senki Beast Ape Lv5→Lv6（↑1）
DEX 10
AGI 20（↑1）
INT 6（↑1）
STR 25
VIT 25
SPI 5
Skills
Punch Kick Throw Object Block Evade Climb Throw
It"s still a little early, but I"ll head back to the shrine and eat up.
Here"s when things are going to get interesting.
I"ve never hunted in the N1W1 area at night.
I wonder how it"ll turn out.
The Dwarf Fighter from yesterday is talking to me just as I"m finishing my dinner.
He doesn"t really have to thank me for yesterday.
「Good evening. Are you staying here for the night?」
「Yes. I want to try hunting at night.」
I can hear his friends saying『The Summoner really is strong.』
Why are they calling me “The Summoner”?
Well, I can"t deny that I am a Summoner though.
「You should be careful, you know? There are goats that are as fast as lightning, and perhaps other monsters we don"t even know about.」
「Of course. I"ll be careful.」
I appreciate the warning.
Alright.
I"ve come up with a strategy for fighting Black Bears.
But considering the fact that I may have to fight unknown monsters, I should probably change my team.
It"s a good opportunity.
I"m going to replace some of my Monster Summons.
I"m recalling Rig and summoning Jean in his place.
I"m subst.i.tuting Obsidian with Jericho.
It"s a well-balanced team, with a guard against ambushes and good offensive capabilities.
Alright. Are there going to be demons, or perhaps snakes?
There"s a Demon on my side, though!
It"s already dark outside.
I can see the tall mountains to the west.
Maybe that"s why the sun has already set.
It"s gotten cold all of a sudden.
I"ll have Obsidian stay in the sky as much as possible.
And I"ll have Jean fly around me at a low alt.i.tude.
From what I heard just now, there are going to be Blitz in this area.
Keeping that in mind, I should expect lightning attacks.
I set a few support spells as shortcuts where I can see them.
The spells I chose were Resist Thunder, Root Snare, Branch Bind, and Steam Mist.
I"ll set up shortcuts for Gravity Bullet and Fire Wall too.
It"s the first time I"m using this function.
I can"t fill the entire screen with shortcuts, so this is just fine.
Since I know what spells I"m going to use, it"s probably better to spend time setting shortcuts first.
I can go back to my usual method if it"s too much of a bother anyway.
Alright, bring it on.
I"m all set.
I"m staying close to the shrine so I can run back if I need to.
I"m all set to run away! Just kidding.
Still, it"s better to play it safe.
Protagonist Keith
Race Human Male Racial Lv11
Job Summoner Lv11
Bonus Points Remaining 12
Skill Sets
Staff Lv9 Punch Lv6 Kick Lv7（↑1）Joint Lock Lv6（↑1）Throw Lv6（↑1）
Evade Lv6 Block Lv6 Summon Magic Lv11 s.p.a.cetime Magic Lv5（↑1）
Light Magic Lv6（↑1）Wind Magic Lv6 Earth Magic Lv6 Water Magic Lv6
Fire Magic Lv6 Dark Magic Lv6 Ice Magic Lv4 Lightning Magic Lv4
Tree Magic Lv4 Dust Magic Lv4 Lava Magic Lv4（↑1）Steam Magic Lv4（↑1）
Alchemy Lv6 Pharmacy Lv5 Gla.s.smaking Lv3 Woodworking Lv4
Synergy Lv8 Appraise Lv7 Identify Lv8（↑1）Discern Lv3 Cold Resistance Lv5（↑1）
Grab Lv7（↑1）Horsemanship Lv7 Precise Manipulation Lv8 Jump Lv3
Heat Resistance Lv4 Climb Lv4 Dual Wield Lv5 Disa.s.sembly Lv4
Physical Fortification Lv4（↑1）Mental Fortification Lv4 Speedcasting Lv6
Equipment Kaya Wood Rod ×1 Kaya Wood Tonfa ×2 Enraged Pickaxe+×2
Silver Necklace+ Snow Leopard Push Dagger ×1 Gale Tiger Push Dagger ×2
Wild Horse Leather Armor+ Snow Ape Armguard Wild Horse Boots+
Snow Ape Leather Armor Wild Horse Belt+ Rucksack Item Box ×2
Items Survival Knife Woodworking Toolkit
t.i.tles Old Summoner"s Pupil, Guardian of the Forest, Man of the Middle Path
Spell Archive
Monster Summons
Volff Gray Wolf Lv1
Zangetsu Horse Lv6
Helix Hawk Lv6
Obsidian Owl Lv6
Jean Bat Lv5
Jericho Wood Golem Lv5
Goki Demon Lv4→Lv5（↑1）
DEX 18
AGI 14（↑1）
INT 11（↑1）
STR 18
VIT 18
SPI 11
Skills
Bow Handaxe Buckler Block Evade Hide
Senki Beast Ape Lv5→Lv6（↑1）
DEX 10
AGI 20（↑1）
INT 6（↑1）
STR 25
VIT 25
SPI 5
Skills
Punch Kick Throw Object Block Evade Climb Throw
Rig Slime Lv4
Bunraku Wood Puppet Lv3
Heshikiri Hasebe: A sword once owned by Oda n.o.bunaga. It earned its name “Push-Cutter” when he pushed against the sword itself to cut down one of his enemies. ↩