Translator: Cryus

Mio is busy making lunch, and Reina has gone back to her workshop, so I"m heading to the Adventurer"s Guild to meet up with Master.
So much has happened in such a short time.
There are too many things that I don"t know.
I wonder if ignorance is a sin.

It"s starting to rain harder.
There are even fewer people walking around in town. It"s starting to look gloomier as it gets more and more deserted.
There are more people putting on coats and robes to stay dry.
I"m starting to see fewer green markers as time goes by.

Master is holding the reins of his Battle Horse in front of the Adventurer"s Guild.
The guild employee is holding his《Item Box》for him.
I hurry toward Master and help him up his Battle Horse.

「Sorry I"m late.」

「Don"t worry, we just finished our business. It"s raining, so let us hurry.」

「Okay.」

We"re heading out of town.
The rain is getting even heavier, making it hard to see around us.
The horses are trodding on mud. Even Zangetsu"s body is getting dirty.
Controlling the reins is proving to be a little difficult, so I use Physical Enchant: Aqua to raise my DEX.
It"s not making the ride any easier.
I"m probably just lucky I"m not falling off the horse.

Once the town is out of sight, Master looks around to make sure no one is around. He dismisses his Battle Horse.
Then he summons his Roc Bird.
I recall Zangetsu as well, summoning Volff in her place.
As usual, we"re climbing the Roc Bird and flying off to another location to gather Healgra.s.s.

Since we"re flying above the clouds, the vast sky above and around us is blue.
And it"s cold.
It"s only natural from being soaked in the rain.
Master seems completely fine. It still remains a mystery to me.
During our flight, I spend my time looking at the info from the GMs while cuddling next to Volff.
As Fiona said earlier, it"s the overall player statistics.

The first page is a sheet containing the raw data of each and every player.
The names of the players are hidden, and there are a few rows that are masked. These are probably players who chose to hide their individual information.
I scroll all the way down. There are a little more than 3,600 players in total.

The next page is basically a spreadsheet that displays a few sections. When selected, it shows the total distribution of players in the corresponding categories.
For example, there"s the Race category.
The large majority of players are Humans, followed by about 10% of Dwarves and less than 3% of Elves.

There"s also the Job and Skill categories. By specifying the conditions and changing the settings, it"s also possible to show the distribution on a graph.
I tried playing around with it.

I search the Summoner job.
There"s only 1 person.
That would be me.

I sort the list according to the player selected jobs from lowest to highest.
I"m kind of surprised that there are other jobs that are taken by only 1 player each.
Summoner isn"t the top on the list.
Here"s what it looks like.

Gla.s.s Worker
Summoner
Stonemason
Jeweler
Lumberjack

Well, to be fair, they"re all production jobs.
I"m taking a glance at the other rare jobs.

Fisherman　2
Brewer　2
Potter　2
Alchemist　3
Bard　4
Farmer　5

I"m a little curious about the Bard job.
I"m looking it up on the help section. It seems to be magic-based.
With a total of 3,600 players, 4 seems to be a small number.
I feel a sense of affinity with them.

After the Farmer job, the number suddenly jumps to over 50 players.

Merchant　51
Fabric Farmer　55
Pharmacist　58

Fiona is a Merchant. It doesn"t seem that popular though.
It"s about 2% of the overall population.

It"s starting to get a little interesting.
Maybe I"ll throw a few skills in the mix.

What about magic?

I set the filter to players who have learned more than one magic skill, and add a category for the skill count.

There"s only one person at the top who has learned 5 different types of magic.
That"s a lot.
Having learned 4 different types - Light, Wind, Water, and Earth - is still a lot to me… no, wait.
This list includes Summon Magic.
It"s me again?!

A little over half of the total players on this list have learned 1 type of magic. Combined with those who have learned 2 magic types, it"s over 90%.
Taking the growth rate into consideration, it"s probably better to narrow down the list.
In my case, I barely gave it a second thought when I obtained my skills.
This is how I turned out to be.
But I don"t regret it at all.

Yup.
Leaving that aside…
I think this certainly is useful data in finding out player tendencies.
I don"t really care about other uses, but I"m just interested in the data itself.
Through the rows of numbers, it feels as if I can grasp the intentions of many of the players.
That"s all there is to it.

I was thinking about extracting other data through some other skills, but we"ve reached our destination, so I"ll stop for now.
I"ll put it off until I have some spare time on my hands.

Now, where are we exactly?
I think we"re in the same area as before, but I can"t really see well because of the weather.
The Roc Bird doesn"t seem to care, and flies off once we alight from its back.
I"m probably going to end up killing some crazy monsters again.

I"m observing Master"s movements somewhat nervously.
I can"t discount the possibility that something similar to yesterday is going to happen.

「Don"t be so tense. There is something I want to discuss first.」

After summoning 2 Automatons, he hands me a few jute bags.
Huh?
That"s a lot of bags from his《Item Box》today.

「Keith, it is interesting to watch the way you fight. However, it is flawed.」

「Okay.」

I should just nod here.
I can already tell what he"s trying to say.

「It is certainly effective against humanoids such as apes. However, they are not the only monsters you will face.」

He"s right.
And I already knew it.
I thought about it after obtaining the【Joint Lock】skill.
But I can still make use of my【Punch】and【Kick】skills.
That"s what it means to fight like a man.

「With that said, you shall fight a different monster today.」

Master.
I don"t think that"s right.
I was just about to ask you to go a little easier on me.

「Well, it seems that you have obtained new equipment, and an opponent who does not know how to fight is no opponent at all. Prepare yourself.」

Thanks for your kind words, but…
You look like you"re enjoying this, Master.
Just what are you expecting from me?!
The Automatons head off to gather some Healgra.s.s, paying no attention to me.
Volff and Helix are observing the fight.
Good for you guys.

Master uses Call Monster, and calls forth a deer-like monster.
No, it"s not a deer. The horns look different. Is it a goat?
There are 2 short and thick horns on its head. They"re bent slightly backwards.
Even though they"re not pointed forward, I wonder what would happen to me if it bent its head down and charged at me.
It"s painful just to imagine it.
As usual, I【Identify】it and take a screenshot.

Blitz　Lv.3
Monster　Enemy Target　Active・Guided

What"s with this guy?
I"m getting a bad feeling.

I had my list of spells open. I"m casting Physical Enchant: Wind.
Before I manage to finish my spell, there"s some change within the monster.
For a split second, lightning flashes from one horn to the other.
I see.
It suits its name well.

The full name, Blitzkrieg, is a German word that literally means "lightning war".
I wonder if it"s called Blitz because of its speed.
Or is it literally referring to its lightning attacks?

I barely managed to avoid its first strike.
Or so I thought, but my body suddenly feels heavy.
My fingertips are hurting and slightly numb.
It feels like the nerve response test I received in the hospital long ago.

It was a lightning strike.
I can"t really feel the pain, but my HP has decreased by about 30%.
That"s bad.

I fumbled the spell before I could finish it. This is really bad.
I"m casting Magical Enchant: Light.
I bring the bottom end of my rod close to me and raise the top end to eye level, facing off against the goat.
It"s a defensive stance in kendo.
I proceed to lower it, changing stances to restrict its movements.

「Magical Enchant: Light!」

It"s the only defensive countermeasure I could think of against its lightning strikes.
G.o.d knows how well it"ll work.

It"s lowering its head and charging at me again.
Just as I raised my rod…
The goat flew.
No, it jumped.

It saw through my attack. I don"t know where it is now.
Don"t look up.
There"s a reason why our eyes are on the sides. Looking up or down will cause a huge opening.
I"m sure it"s behind me anyway.

I was right.
I noticed that it used another lightning strike at me.
My body is numb again.
By HP has also reduced.
But it"s not as bad as the first attack.
Looks like Magical Enchant: Light worked pretty well.

I only have about 40% of my HP remaining.
This is bad.
My options are drastically reduced.
I"m casting Physical Enchant: Wind.
Meanwhile, I"m observing the goat.

For some strange reason, it"s maintaining some distance.
Is it trying to torture me?
No, wait.
Something is off.

I try moving parts of my body that aren"t paralyzed.
I can still do it.
I continue observing the goat.
That"s why it felt weird. It"s not attacking me.

Why is it maintaining its distance?
Obviously it wants to finish me off with another lightning strike.
Does it mean that it can"t perform lightning attacks that often?

I"m going on the offensive this time.
I put my right hand near the middle of the rod.
I put my left foot forward and take a stance.
I have the rod positioned in a way that the goat can"t see it.

「Physical Enchant: Wind!」

I time my dash to make it faster.
I"ve managed to limit its options and get closer.
I"ve probably only managed to take one step closer.
That"s plenty for me.
The goat shows no signs of attacking me.
Instead, it"s trying to take a few steps back.

I reverse the position of the upper half of my body.
With my left hand on the bottom of my rod, I use my right hand to perform a powerful『Backhand Swing』.
Obviously, no such Weapon Arte exists.
It"s just a technique that describes my movements.
At the same time, I"m casting my next spell.

The rod hits the goat squarely in the face, shocking it.
I kick its jaws using the tip of my right leg.
I quickly perform a follow-up attack.
I thrust the rod while holding it backhand.

I hit it right between its eyebrows.
It"s the perfect distance. Now"s my chance.
I spin counterclockwise and deal a backhand blow.
My left hand hits it straight in the face. It"s just about where my rod hit it earlier.

I wonder how much HP I took out of the goat.
It"s decreased by about 20%.
I think it was pretty good, but I"m far from finishing it off.

「Force Bullet!」

I unleash the spell from my rod at point blank.
It"s a direct hit!
But the goat ignores it, lowering its head and charging at me.
I dodge it just barely, and get on its back.
I let go of my rod and wrap my hands around its neck.
With my left arm around its throat, I reach for its right horn.
I do the same with my right hand and strangle it.
I begin twisting its neck.
I cross over its body and get off on the right side, applying my body weight to its neck.
At the same time, I force its head upward and increase the pressure on its throat.

Naturally, the goat is thrashing about wildly.
I"m getting what I asked for.
Just locking my arms around its neck causes its HP to drop on its own.
It"s just accelerating its death by struggling.
What I have to watch out for is its lightning strikes.

I can feel it stopping its struggle. It looks like struggling makes it inconvenient for it to use its lightning strikes.
Whenever I feel its movements becoming dull, I tighten my grip, slowly, surely, securely.
And when that happens, the goat starts struggling again.
This cycle feels good.

While the goat"s HP is decreasing, it keeps trying to stomp wildly. It hurts when it hits my legs.
I"m a little p.i.s.sed off.
With my hands still clutching its head, I start kicking its throat with my right knee.
It"s a knee kick similar to te khao in Muay Thai.
But in my case, it"s not a planned movement, and I"m not using my entire body.

Elbow strikes and knee kicks are prohibited in many fighting styles.
I just did it on reflex.
And yet going against the rules in real combat makes it more effective.
It"ll only bring about tragic results in the real world though!

The goat has become less violent. Is it working?
I kick it harder using my knee, and it"s becoming even less wild.
That"s a good opportunity.

I twist its neck with my arms still locked in place.
I can feel and hear something cracking. I twist it even more and bring it to the ground with me.
Using that momentum and the force of my entire body, I sweep its legs off, then throw it onto the ground.
I rush towards it and prepare another attack as it"s lying on the ground.
But it"s already dead.

《Racial Level Up! Please add 1 point to a desired stat.》

The already familiar status screen appears. I decide to add my STR.

Base Stats
DEX　15
AGI　15
INT　18
STR　15（↑1）
VIT　15
SPI　19

Yup.
The numbers look pretty even now.
I"ll raise my INT next.

《You have gained 2 Bonus Points. You currently have a total of 11 Bonus Points.》
《【Evade】Level Up!》
《【Joint Lock】Level Up!》

「Hey Keith, what exactly is that fighting style?」

「Well, it"s just as you can see.」

「It is no different from when you were fighting the Snow Ape.」

「Huh.」

I mean, I can"t help it.
I can"t reduce its HP by too much just by using spells or my rod.
I"m actually surprised myself.
Compared to the Snow Ape, I think it took less time to kill it.
Well, I have new equipment now, so it"s hard to compare like that.

「I just don"t know how to advise you.」

Master heals me using Earth Heal while complaining.
Right, I still have to deal with the goat"s body.
It"s beautiful.
It"s not bleeding. Just foaming at the mouth and sticking its tongue out.
I stick my Survival Knife into the goat, and receive 2 pieces of meat and a thin, long bone-like object.

【Material】Blitz Thigh Meat　Raw Material　Grade C+　Rarity 2　Weight 1
The thigh meat of a Blitz. Muscular and contains little fat. Has a beautiful pink color.

【Material】Blitz Tendon　Raw Material　Grade B　Rarity 5　Weight 0+
The tendon of a Blitz. Prized as a cooking ingredient when dried.
Basically tasteless.

Another rare item.
Both items look edible.

「Yet another unique item.」

I look at the tendon, then at Master, who spoke with a hint of surprise in his face.
The rarity is so high that even Master has taken notice of it.

「You may have it for lunch. Shall we start cooking?」

Master summons a Silverskin and makes it do the cooking.
It"s still early in the day.
The Silverskin takes out a few cooking wares from Master"s《Item Box》and begins cooking.
It"s taking out other ingredients too.
I store the 2 Blitz Thigh Meat slices into my《Item Box》right in front of Master, but he says nothing.
Instead, he hands me a jute bag.

「Now you shall gather some Healgra.s.s. I am counting on you.」

First, I set my own target.
It"s boring to just gather the herbs anyway.
My goal is the 2 Automatons that Master summoned.
They may be talented humanoids who know no rest.
But I won"t lose to them.

I"m also getting used to the job.
Even if I can"t win now, I"ll definitely close the gap between us.
I can do it.

As for the results…
It was an overwhelming defeat.
I can"t possibly catch up to them.
And I"m really tired right now.

There"s still some time before lunch is ready. I think it"s satisfactory that I"ve managed to fill 1 jute bag before then.

「Are you done?」

「Yes.」

The Automatons managed to fill 7 jute bags with Healgra.s.s while I only managed to fill 1.
There"s also about half the amount of Paingra.s.s.
There seems to be a lot of Paingra.s.s today.
Maybe it"s because we"re in a different place.

There"s only bread and soup for lunch today.
That said, there"s a large collagen-like thing floating in the soup.
Am I supposed to eat all of it?
It resembles the Hunter Bear Paw Soup from yesterday.

【Food】Blitz Tendon Stew　Satiety +30%　Grade B+　Rarity 6　Weight 2
※Mystery effect
Blitz Tendon Stew seasoned in soup.
The tendon is puffy. Extremely flavorful when combined with the taste of the soup.

The Silverskin is really good at cooking.
Why is it Rarity 6?
The mystery effect feels kind of scary.

Master is eating it really fast.
I won"t lose to him.
The soup is about 3 times as much as his food.
It"s delicious.
The tendon does feel puffy, and I can feel the soup on my tongue as I swallow it. It feels comfortable and enjoyable.

There"s a slight herbal taste, but it leaves a nice aftertaste.
Should I say it"s minty?
Dipping the bread in the soup is good too.
There"s just so much of it, but I finish it all at once anyway.
After I finish everything, there"s an info popup.

《You have obtained the Support Skill【Jump】! Do you wish to activate it?》

I"ve learned another skill.
Even though it was forced upon me.
I can choose to leave it deactivated though.
I"ll activate it. I only stand to gain anyway!

That was weird though. I didn"t know I could learn skills this way.
Is the Silverskin really that good at cooking, or is it because of the rarity of the food?
Just how does it work?
a.n.a.lyzing the game system sounds interesting, but I should stay in the moment.

After finishing my meal, I take a few deep breaths.
There was a round 2 yesterday.
I should make sure I"m good to go. My HP is full, and my MP is almost full too.
It looks like Master is still savoring his food, but I can"t let my guard down.

But he"s not giving me a chance to relax.

「Something is coming. Are you ready? Stay back. If things look bad, run into the forest.」

He looks serious.
He recalls his Silverskin and Automatons, and summons different monsters in their places.
3 magic circles appear on the ground at the same time.
But there"s only emptiness.

Helix is the first to notice.
The Roc Bird is heading here while grasping onto something with its legs.
Even though it can"t match the size of the Roc Bird, it still looks pretty big.
There"s a red marker indicating that it"s an enemy target.
I stare at it and【Identify】it.

Carnivorous Taper　Lv.???
Monster　Enemy Target　Active

It looks like a giant elephant.
But its hair is thick, and it"s monochrome. Definitely not an elephant.
Carnivorous Taper? What does that mean?
I know that Carnivorous means that it eats meat, but I have no idea what Taper means.

Leaving that aside…
There are other things I should be surprised about.
Both the monster and the Roc Bird have their HP reduced, but the Roc Bird is clearly losing.
This is definitely a strong one.

Protagonist　Keith
Race　Human　Male　Racial Lv4（↑1）
Job　Summoner Lv2
Bonus Points Remaining 11

Skill Sets
Staff Lv2　Punch Lv2　Kick Lv2　Joint Lock Lv2（↑1）
Evade Lv2（↑1）　Block Lv2　Summon Magic Lv3
Light Magic Lv2　Wind Magic Lv2　Earth Magic Lv2　Water Magic Lv2
Alchemy Lv2　Pharmacy Lv2
Cooperation Lv3　Appraise Lv3　Identify Lv3　Cold Resistance Lv2　Grab Lv2
Horsemanship Lv1　Precise Manipulation Lv1　Jump Lv1（New！）

Equipment　Beginner"s Rod　Wild Rabbit Breastplate+ Series　Snow Ape Arm Cover
Cloth Shoes　Rucksack　Item Box ×2

Items　Survival Knife

Stats
DEX　15
AGI　15
INT　18
STR　15（↑1）
VIT　15
SPI　19

Monster Summons
Volff　Wolf Lv3　Resting

Zangetsu　Horse Lv2

Helix　Hawk Lv2