Translator: Charlotte Editor: Weasalopes
I was glad I could get some time to log in, but my surroundings were still dark.
It was 3:30 am in-game.
Of course it was dark.
《You have received some information from the GMs. Do you wish to read it?》
Some info came in.
The usual?
《Update: As of yesterday, the database has been updated!》
I looked at the giant list of data and skipped to the bottom.
Total number of players: Over 42000.
A good increase.
But would it be enough for the game to make a profit?
It was still a suspicious number.
After leaving the tent and cleaning up, I looked around and was surprised to see a good number of players around.
Although maybe considering that it was 3:30 pm in the real world, that wasn"t that big of a surprise.
In any case, I did feel like 3:30 am was too early for some early-morning practice.
Although calling it "early-morning practice" felt a little weird.
Morning hunting?
I still had a good number of potions, and it was still too early to get Bunraku to make me breakfast.
My MP bar was at 100% too.
There was no hesitation.
I decided to go Haunted Mist hunting.
I summoned Obsidian, Jean, Mumyo, and Ninetails.
I especially wanted to fight with Mumyo and Ninetails.
Mumyo was good against Haunted Mists.
Although there was still a need for【Enchanted Weapon】.
I had a suspicion that Ninetails would do very well.
Ninetails had a pretty good AGI stat.
The monster we were dealing with was essentially just mist, so the STR stat didn"t seem very useful.
In fact, objectively speaking, Obsidian and Jean were the best at fighting them.
They could fly around at low heights while they dealt damage.
I used【Enchanted Weapon】on everyone and used【Call Monster】to call the surrounding Haunted Mists to me.
They weren"t in particularly large groups.
Looks like it was just my luck to see only big groups in the beginning.
Well, it was easier this way.
I took them all out without taking any damage.
Ninetails" movements were light, much lighter than my movements.
Looked I didn"t have to worry about Ninetails.
Good.
Next.
I put some distance between myself and the village and aimed for a group of Haunted Mists.
I was interested in testing the range of【Call Monster】.
I was pretty sure its range increased from【Spell Effect Amplification】or【Spell Range Amplification】.
Either way was fine.
As long as it was useful, it would be alright.
Oops, onto the main subject.
Looking at the monster"s movements, I realised there must have been at least three parties hunting at the edge of the forest.
It was a reasonable estimate.
I could definitely sense two other parties.
Although Obsidian could only spot one of those parties.
After using【Call Monster】, I intentionally chose the route less crowded with monsters.
Looked like the skill had another use.
A use that would only get more prevalent as the number of parties increased.
The next group was a smaller group.
Naturally, the number of Haunted Mists I could get with each spell went down.
It was unfortunate but there was nothing I could do.
Even then, after putting in some hard work I got some results.
《【Summon Magic】Level Up!》
《【Spell Effect Amplification】Level Up!》
《【Spell Range Amplification】Level Up!》
《Racial Level Up! Please put a point into a desired stat.》
A level-up.
I chose to put a point into SPI.
I suppose I could put a point into INT next…
Base Stats:
DEX 16
AGI 16
INT 21
STR 16
VIT 16
SPI 21 (↑1)
《You have gained 2 Bonus Points. You currently have a total of 6 Bonus Points.》
The best news was that I could get myself another Summon Monster.
Hmm…
Well, I could always decide later.
The next group was relatively large.
But it didn"t pose any problems.
No, the biggest problem was with me.
I was off-guard and got ambushed by a Haunted Mist.
Totally my fault.
If only I were more careful, I wouldn"t have had to deal with that.
I got Ninetails to heal me and kept going.
The next group was a similar size.
But I had already learnt from my mistakes.
I couldn"t get careless.
I wondered if that was all…
The moment I took out the entire group, I ran into a Holy Wraith.
I was able to use【Identify】on it, and see its level too.
Holy Wraith Lv.3
Monster Enemy Target Active
I couldn"t let it get away.
I got my Summon Monsters to surround it, and after focusing attacks on it, it went down within two minutes.
But I lost about 30% of my HP bar in the fight.
The Holy Wraith I encountered last time attacked with thunder and flames, but this one attacked with rocks and icy hail.
Looked like it was a monster that could have multiple attributes.
What a strange monster.
《【Dust Magic】Level Up!》
I wasn"t even using【Dust Magic】that much, but it levelled up.
In any case, the damage I took was worth it.
After that I enjoyed myself hunting until sunrise.
I was pretty comfortable, and took out two Skeleton Raptors and six Float Eyes.
But even after all that, Ninetails did not level-up.
I didn"t have to worry just yet.
All in all I got eight Magic Stones and four Crystal b.a.l.l.s.
I had quite a few of them now…
The prospect of selling them came to mind.
The time was already about 6 am.
I decided to head back to the village.
When I arrived at the village I recalled Jean and Mumyo.
I summoned Bunraku and headed towards the centre of the village. When I arrived, there were two tables lined up.
Both of them were lined with bowls full of vegetables.
And there was Fiona and Fudo.
「Oh, good morning, Keith.」
「Good morning.」
「Feel free to take a bowl of salad with you.」
「Ah, that would be nice. Thanks.」
「Don"t thank me. Your spells are what"s making harvesting vegetables so much easier.」
Hmm…
I realised I hadn"t been using【Grow】at all.
Well, it wasn"t necessarily a bad thing.
I brought a lot of tomatoes the day before.
But I tried leaving the choice to Bunraku for once.
There was some kind of radish and beans, along with some leafy vegetables that weren"t there the day before.
Meat and eggs too…
I went to the usual place, and found Mio, Adele, and Irina having a food festival.
They were setting up a kind of temporary stall.
Either way, they were taking it a little too far.
「Oh! Good morning!」
「Good morning.」
「Morning…」
Mio was as energetic as usual, but by Adele looked pretty tired.
Although maybe it was because of all the meat-and-vegetable stir fry she had to make.
Irina was about to replace her.
「Do you need a meal?」
「I"m about to start cooking. But if you have some bread I"d love to have some.」
「Oh, yeah. Would this be fine?」
Mio handed me something.
Naan bread.
It was a lot smaller than I was used to, but it was a piece of uncooked naan bread.
It had to be some kind of joke.
「Just kidding!」
Yeah…
I expected that.
「Can I get two pieces of it after you"re done frying it up?」
「OK!」
I decided not to make a big deal out of it.
Well…
When Bunraku started cooking, I was suddenly free.
It was then that something caught my attention.
I felt like I was forgetting something.
But I didn"t know what it was.
It was a feeling I"d been having for about a day already.
Hmm…
What was it?
Oh?
Oh!
That!
Spells.
I hadn"t checked out my new【s.p.a.cetime Magic】spells.
How careless of me…
I checked my list of spells one more time.
First,【Clairvoyance】.
Simply put, it was a spell that let me see the future.
As long as I had something to focus on, I could look forward quite a distance.
I suppose the target would be limited easy-to-understand objects like Area Portals.
It had an X-ray vision-like effect too.
Of course, there was no way I would use it to look through clothes.
I won"t do it.
Never!
Besides, knowing my luck…
I would only see muscles and six-packs anyway.
Next,【Dimension Mirror】.
A wall spell for【s.p.a.cetime Magic】?
Apparently, it was capable of reflecting enemy projectiles.
Spells too.
What a cruel spell.
But it wasn"t a spell that could last for a long time.
Reading the description, I suppose it was about five seconds at most?
Lastly, 【Instant Portal】.
A spell that creates a portal serving as a temporary hub for log-ins and log-outs.
Like Area Portals, they are safe from monsters.
Wow.
But as I read further, I realised that it had some restrictions.
HP and MP recovery were slowed.
The portal can only be used by the caster"s party.
And it wasn"t possible to use it more than once.
In other words, I wouldn"t be able to use it as a target for【Return Home】.
I also wouldn"t be able to use it if I were targeted by a monster.
And it had a long cooldown time of five hours.
But it was still convenient.
Especially for doing long-distance travelling.
Hmm…
Well, I suppose I could post about it in the forums.
I didn"t have anything better to do anyway.
But I still felt stuck.
Like something else was still waiting.
Oh, and my 13th Summon Monster.
Was that it?
Whatever.
I"ll remember one day.
Bunraku made a vegetable-and-egg ca.s.serole.
And something like bean soup.
Adele barged in and tasted it.
「Two fresh pieces of naan bread!」
Adele handed me the naan bread.
One of them already had their stir-fry on it.
I gratefully accepted.
「The morning meeting starts at 7 am! It"s optional but please do attend!」
The announcement came at an amazing volume.
Was it that time already?
I left clean-up to Bunraku and got to what was probably going to be my favourite part of the day.
My 13th Summon Monster.
I chose the spell at the very bottom of my spell list, 【Summon Monster】.
Which one should I choose…
Wolf
Horse
Hawk
Owl
Wood Puppet
Bat
Wood Golem
Beast Ape
Demon
Red Fox
Tiger
Viper
Skeleton
Slime
Mist
Lion
Giant Tortoise
Fairy
There were a few more to choose from.
And a few weird ones at that, too.
「What"s wrong?」
「Hmm? Oh, I"m just choosing my next Summon Monster.」
「A fluffy one!」
I suppose that was Adele"s only criteria.
I had more in mind though.
「I suppose I could look at their summaries.」
【Lion】Summon Monster Battle Position: Land
A lion. Its main method of attack is a bite.
A beast that excels in attacking, it can perform well both in the day-time and at night.
【Giant Tortoise】Summon Monster Battle Position: Land
A large tortoise. Its main method of attack is its bite and its earth-attribute special skills.
Its movements are slow, but it"s a tough and formidable defender.
Geared for support with its earth-attribute special skills.
【Fairy】Summon Monster Battle Position: Air
A fairy. A spirit stuck in its physical form.
Its main methods of attack are special skills of various attributes.
With a small and nimble body, it can easily dodge attacks.
Its STR and VIT stats are not to be relied upon.
「Could it be that you"re actually really stuck?」
「No! I"ll make a quick decision…」
「I get what you"re feeling. Can I look at your options?」
「Ah, would that be alright?」
「I want to see!」
I made a temporary『Union』and showed her my options.
Although the moment I did that, I already knew what her response was going to be.
「Lion!」
「What about Giant Tortoise? Or fairy? Aren"t those options too?」
「I guess so.」
「Maybe a fairy to help out in the back…」
I ignored Adele as she started trying to whisper, "Lion is good…" into my ear.
I suppose I could take Irina"s advice though.
I was definitely interested.
「Summon Monster!」
I summoned a fairy, quite similar to the one I saw at N1W2.
It was cute… That word suited it best.
I didn"t know if it was male or female.
Well, maybe as a fairy, it didn"t really matter.
It was small.
Way too small.
A little over 20cm at most.
Oops.
I"d better give it a name.
Heather Fairy Lv1
DEX 6
AGI 18
INT 20
STR 1
VIT 1
SPI 22
Skills:
Flight Levitation Magical Resistance [Medium] MP regeneration [Small] [ ]
The last skill was empty.
Looked like I could add an attribute.
Hmm…
The options were light, dark, fire, wind, earth, and water.
Which one should I choose…?
I went with my image of a fairy, and chose accordingly.
It was the attribute that first came to mind.
Heather Fairy Lv1
DEX 6
AGI 18
INT 20
STR 1
VIT 1
SPI 22
Skills:
Flight Levitation Magical Resistance [Medium] MP regeneration [Small] Wind Attribute
A wind fairy.
But what were those stats…
And what"s【Levitation】supposed to mean?
The fairy was already floating.
Reading the skill description, I learnt that it was apparently a skill to improve the chance of evading an attack.
Hmm…
I still didn"t really understand.
「Cute!」
「She"s so small!」
It was a rare sight to see Irina so excited.
Yeah…
I suppose they were just into small, cute things.
Well then.
I was definitely concerned about Heather"s STR and VIT stat.
She would have to be very careful not to get hit.
Well, I suppose I could tell after I see her in action.
I summoned Zangetsu.
With that, my team consisted of Zangetsu, Obsidian, Ninetails, and Heather.
With Zangetsu having changed into a White Horse, my team was looking a lot fancier.
It was a good thing.
Irina was trying to catch Heather.
But she wasn"t having much luck.
Hmm…
I had an opportunity to see【Levitation】in action.
When I was tackling the Area Portal the day before, Obsidian definitely dodged a lot of attacks.
I wondered how well Heather would do.
Maybe even better than Obsidian?
Well, in any case, it was an encouraging sight.
Heather stood on my palm, with Irina staring at her.
Hmm… Looked like Irina had her preferences too.
「I"ll definitely get one of those next!」
Oh dear.
Irina"s look was scary.
The same look Adele tended to have.
Scary…
The meeting was more of a recap for all the new players who had been joining us.
But there was some good news too.
Livestock were being introduced to the village.
I didn"t know how they cleared the Forest Maze, but the number of farmers was increasing.
Maybe they were just busy testing crops earlier…
They told everyone they were starting to work on growing olives.
On top of that, they said they would be able to get corn in the near future.
All the farmer reports were delivered by Hannes.
The next topic was on converting dead leaves from the northern forest into fertiliser.
The topic was brought up by Yosaku.
Yosaku also mentioned that two log houses had been completed.
I was pretty surprised.
I gave a short report too.
A short report on the N1W2 map.
Stab b.u.t.terflies weren"t an issue, as long as there were others in the party to remove the "sleep" status.
I talked about rats, worms, and phantoms.
I talked about the possibility of encountering Snow Leopards like in N1W1.
And the unlocking of another Area Portal.
I plainly laid out all the information.
I focused on the facts.
When I talked about the lack of monsters to the north, everyone"s faces turned a little grimmer.
But not Yosaku.
Maybe he was just focusing whole-heartedly on expanding into the forest.
That"s a lumberjack for you.
After casting【Grow】on some plants, I sold some items to Fiona.
Mostly Crystal b.a.l.l.s, Antman Wax, and Antman Honey
I considered selling Magic Stones, but then I realised something.
Magic Stones probably counted as jewellery.
I could probably ask Margrid some questions about its origins.
「Hey Fiona, you know where Margrid is?」
「I think she hasn"t logged in yet… Although I"m sure she logged out here yesterday.」
「Is that so…」
「If you really need me to, I could send her a message?」
「Oh, no it"s nothing urgent.」
I gave a short bow and was about to leave, when Mio stopped me.
I turned to face her.
「Here. Some jerky for you!」
「What?」
「It"s absolutely delicious!」
「But this is quite a bit, don"t you think?」
「I have way too much meat on me right now! I"m taking Adele and Irina with me to make jerky.」
Ooh.
Well in that case, I"ll gratefully accept.
Along with the jerky, Mio also handed me two more pieces of naan bread.
I put them all in my《Item Box》.
I gave another short bow.
Well then.
Where to go for today…
Protagonist Keith
Race Human Male Racial Lv13 (↑1)
Job Summoner Lv12
Bonus Points Remaining: 6
Skill Sets:
Staff Lv10 Punch Lv7 Kick Lv7 Joint Lock Lv7 Throw Lv7 Evade Lv7 Block Lv7 Summon Magic Lv13 (↑1) s.p.a.cetime Magic Lv6
Light Magic Lv6 Wind Magic Lv7 Earth Magic Lv7 Water Magic Lv7 Fire Magic Lv6 Dark Magic Lv6 Ice Magic Lv5 Lightning Magic Lv5 Tree Magic Lv5 Dust Magic Lv5 (↑1) Lava Magic Lv4 Steam Magic Lv4
Alchemy Lv6 Pharmacy Lv5 Gla.s.smaking Lv3 Woodworking Lv4
Synergy Lv9 Appraise Lv9 Identify Lv9 Discern Lv3 Cold Resistance Lv5 Grab Lv7 Horsemanship Lv7 Precise Manipulation Lv9 Jump Lv4 Heat Resistance Lv4 Climb Lv4 Dual Wield Lv6 Disa.s.sembly Lv5
Physical Reinforcement Lv5 Mental Reinforcement Lv6 Speedcasting Lv7 Spell Effect Amplification Lv3 (↑1) Spell Range Amplification Lv3 (↑1)
Equipment:
Kaya Wood Rod × 1 Kaya Wood Tonfa × 2 Enraged Pickaxe+ × 2 Silver Necklace+ Snow Leopard Push Dagger × 1 Gale Tiger Push Dagger × 2 Snow Leopard Bagh Nakh × 1 (New!)
Wild Horse Leather Armour+ Snow Ape Armguard Wild Horse Boots+ Snow Ape Leather Helmet Rabid Horse Belt+ Rucksack Item Box × 2
Items:
Survival Knife Woodworking Set
t.i.tles:
Old Summoner"s Pupil
Guardian of the Forest
Man of the Middle Path
Spell Glossary
Stats:
DEX 16
AGI 16
INT 21
STR 16
VIT 16
SPI 21 (↑1)
Monster Summons:
Volff Grey Wolf Lv2
Zangetsu White Horse Lv1
Helix Hawk Lv7
Obsidian Owl Lv7
Jean Bat Lv7
Jericho Wood Golem Lv5
Goki Demon Lv6
Senki Beast Ape Lv6
Rig Slime Lv5
Bunraku Wood Puppet Lv4
Mumyo Skeleton Lv4
Ninetails Red Fox Lv3
Heather Fairy Lv1
DEX 6
AGI 18
INT 20
STR 1
VIT 1
SPI 22
Skills:
Flight Levitation Magical Resistance [Medium] MP regeneration [Small] Wind Attribute