Translator: Cryus　Editor: Weasalopes

Jean has spotted something moving in the distance.
Obsidian has noticed it as well.
Both Senki and Goki are standing on guard.
I know exactly what"s coming my way.
There"s a flash of lightning that"s lighting the darkness.

It"s a Blitz.

Blitz　Lv.3
Monster　Enemy Target　Active

There"s another one with the same level.

「Resist Thunder!」

I cast it on myself.
It"s probably good enough if I were fighting one at a time.
But there are two of them.
And they"re not easy to deal with.
In my opinion, they"re a lot more bothersome than Snow Leopards.
They"re really fast, after all.

「Resist Thunder!」

I cast the spell on Senki.
They"re almost here.

There"s an electric current running between the two monsters.
They"re trying to catch us with it.
Senki is attacking the Blitz on the right.
I"m heading for the one on the left.
Goki and Obsidian are a.s.sisting Senki.
Jean is helping me fight the Blitz on the left.

I"m already prepared for a lightning strike from the Blitz.
I"m charging in like that because I have Resist Thunder.

Electricity courses through my entire body.
The spell is working.
I did take some damage, but it wasn"t much.
I don"t feel numb either.
I think I can do it.

The monster is attacking me, despite my resistance to lightning.
Bring it on!
It"s going for a simple but straightforward charge.
It"s here.
It"s coming at me with a headb.u.t.t.

But I already knew it was going to do that.
I still remember the last time I fought one of these.
Jean is attacking the Blitz. He grazed its head.
The monster has left a slight opening.
Now"s my chance.

I move sideways a little to dodge the attack, and wrap my right arm around its neck.
I grab its horn with my left hand, trying to twist its head lightly.
I"m delivering knee strikes at the same time, switching back and forth between my left and right knees.
Again.
And again.

The goat is thrashing about wildly. I waited for the moment when it started shaking its head forcefully.
I quickly apply my entire body weight on its head, using the momentum to force it onto the ground.
I"m still grabbing on to its head.
I flip its entire body over, and throw it onto the ground.
It was easy for me to sense which direction the goat was turning.
It was also easy for me to use that momentum to my advantage.

It landed on the ground with a soft thud. I"m using my right hand to grab its head and raise it.
I"m punching it with my left hand.
With push daggers.
It"s the Gale Tiger Push Daggers I"ve kept in my belt.
I"m slicing its throat.
The Blitz is dead.

What about the other one?
I guess I didn"t have to worry about it.
Senki has pounded it to death on the ground.
There are multiple arrows stuck in its body.
Nice job.

「Gehe!」

「Gehehe!」

Senki and Goki are crying out in joy.
Senki looks evil when he"s doing that.
I"m sure the same can be said for Goki.
I"m very sure.

It"s been a while since I got some item drops from the Blitz. It"s the same as usual – 2 pieces of thigh meat.
I"m not getting any rare drops.
Oh well.
But I"ve gotten a horn, so I guess that"s new.
I wonder what it"s used for.

【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 Horn　Raw Material　Grade C　Rarity 3　Weight 1
The horn of a Blitz. Thick and light. Slightly bent.

Maybe it can be used as a spearhead.
It"s possible.

I put my Monster Summons on alert after getting the item drops.
I still have a healthy supply of potions, which I"m using to heal the damage we took from the battle.
This is a good start.
But I doubt these Blitz are the only monsters we"ll be fighting.
There must be other monsters around here.

We"ve been waiting for 5 minutes.
I was just thinking about using Call Monster when Jean seemed to spot something.
On the other hand, Obsidian doesn"t seem to have noticed it.
What is it?

「Kiiii!」

It"s rare for Jean to make a sound like that.
It"s a warning.
Jean is looking behind me.
What"s over there?

I turned around, but I don"t see anything.
But…
Jean can see it.
I"m sure about it.

Jean is attacking the air… or so it seems.
It looks like he hit something.
I still don"t see a marker or anything.
What the h.e.l.l?

There"s nothing Senki or Goki can do. Even Obsidian.
Oh no.
Is it an invisible monster?
How the h.e.l.l am I going to defeat it?

But I"m starting to see something.
Blood dripping onto the ground.
Something is here for sure.

I approach our invisible enemy.
There"s no way Jean can finish it off by himself.
I"m holding my tonfas at the ready.
I"m guarding my head with the tonfas.
How is it going to attack me?

A sharp pain is a.s.saulting my leg.
Something is biting my left leg.
It"s lifting my leg up, causing me to fall.
It"s pushing onto my torso, keeping me on the ground.
If it"s a beast, where would it bite next?
My throat.

I managed to guard my windpipe with my left arm just as the monster was about to bite me.
Now I"m certain that it"s biting me.
With the tonfa shielding me, my arm doesn"t hurt as much as it should.
Judging its strength when pushing me, I think it"s about as heavy as a human.
I let go of my right tonfa and touch the monster with my hand.

It feels surprisingly furry.
I think Adele might enjoy this.

Wait…
This isn"t the time to be thinking about stuff like that!

I try touching another part of the monster. It doesn"t feel like a human at all.
But I don"t think it"s a Snow Leopard or a Blitz.
There"s only one thing I know for sure.
It has jaws, and it has a head.

Jean is attacking the monster"s back.
The monster lifts its jaws away.
I can"t let it escape.
I let go of my left tonfa this time.
I reach out until it feels like I"m grabbing its head.
I"m sandwiching its head between my legs.
The monster is attacking my face, probably with its front legs.
This makes it easier for me.
I grab its legs, then pull and twist them with all my strength.
It feels as if the monster is wildly trying to bite the area above my stomach.
I don"t care.
I"m pulling its legs even harder while pushing its head with my legs.

I"m using a triangle choke.
I think it always works on monsters… probably.
I hear the cracking of a few bones.
I still can"t see the monster, or its marker.
Is it some kind of ability or skill?

「Dispel Magic!」

Since I have nothing to lose, I just cast the spell to see if it works.
If it"s some kind of magic ability, I should be able to dispel it.
Bingo.
I"m starting to see the shape of a beast.

What exactly is it?
It almost looks like a werewolf.
Or…
A weredog?
Identifying the monster clears my doubts.

Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin　Lv.7
Monster　Enemy Target　In Combat

A Kobold?!

Now that I"ve identified it, it"s on my list of Monster Summons.
Obsidian and Jean are attacking the now helpless monster.
I"m choking the monster at the same time.
I hear more bones breaking.
The monster"s legs are twisted in a weird angle.
The monster has died.

I"m inspecting the monster more closely.
It"s a Kobold, all right.
But it"s a Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin.
And it"s completely naked.
I don"t know if it was a spell or an ability that made it invisible.
It"s a real pain in the a.s.s if I have to use Dispel Magic in order to see it.
I guess that means that Jean is the only one who can detect monsters like that.
It"s thanks to Echolocation.
I"m lucky he has the skill.

I"m sticking my Survival Knife into the dead monster.
Here are the item drops.

【Materail】Astringent Persimmon Fruit　Raw Material　Grade C　Rarity 2　Weight 0+
An astringent persimmon fruit. Its species is unknown.

Hey.
What the h.e.l.l?

A persimmon fruit?
An astringent one?
What the h.e.l.l do I do with it?
Should I eat it?
Or should I make it a dried persimmon?
Or plant it and grow it until it bears more fruits?
Don"t they say that it takes eight years for a persimmon to bear fruit?
I doubt I can make it reproduce quickly.

No, wait.
I have the Grow Plant spell. Can I use it on this?
Most likely.
I"ve never seen a persimmon in this game until now.
I"m starting to feel excited.

Obsidian is flying in the air, and has spotted a group of monsters.
Oh no.
I quickly used Fire Heal. My HP is back at 80%.
Since Obsidian can see them, they shouldn"t be Kobold a.s.sa.s.sins.
What are they?
I waited for them to get in range before identifying them.

Kobold　Lv.4
Monster　Enemy Target　Active

Hmm…
What should I do?
There"s about 10 of them.
They"re wielding clubs and spears.
One of them is holding a stone axe.
I don"t think it"s a normal Kobold.

Kobold Fighter　Lv.2
Monster　Enemy Target　Active

That"s not all.
There"s another one with a staff.

Kobold Shaman　Lv.4
Monster　Enemy Target　Active

Alright, what should I do now?
Running… seems ridiculous.
I"m already p.i.s.sed off.
The Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin that I killed must have been a scout or something.
Well, they"re all Kobolds anyway.
I"m not going to let them get away.
I"m going to make them pay for the pain the Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin caused.

I"m holding both tonfas.
I"m charging straight into the group of monsters.
I"m casting a spell.
Senki is charging alongside me.
He overtook me in no time at all.
Obsidian and Jean are flying even faster towards the monsters.
They seem to know which monsters I want them to take out first.
Get rid of the troublesome ones first.

Obsidian and Jean are attacking the Kobold Shaman.
Nice.
Senki has charged right into the middle of the group of monsters, and is making a loud howl.

「Roaaaaar!」

The monsters are trying to surround Senki.
But he"s faster than them.
He"s grabbed on to the legs of one of the Kobolds, and is swinging the monster around.
Is he actually doing that?
Where the h.e.l.l did he learn it?

It"s a good opportunity for me anyway.
I"ll cull their numbers while they"re still in a state of confusion.

Goki is providing ranged support by firing arrows.
We should hurry up and get rid of the pesky ones before they cause trouble.
Something has appeared right next to the Kobold Shaman.
What is it?

Salamander　Lv.2
Spirit　Targetable　Standby

【Identify】tells me it"s a spirit.
It looks like a lizard.
I"m closing in on the Kobold Shaman, ignoring the Salamander.
Jean is biting its head. I made it just as the monster was about to shake him off.
I kick it straight in the belly.
I hit its staff away with my left tonfa, then hit it in the temporal region with my right tonfa.
The monster is dead.

What about the Salamander?
It"s still alive and well.

Salamander　Lv.2
Spirit　Targetable　Confused

It"s confused.
I"ll leave it alone for now, since it doesn"t pose a threat.
Next.

I close in on one of the Kobolds while dodging its spear.
I hit its temporal region.
Then its jaw.
I trip it with my leg, then kick its belly with full force.
I confirmed its death before moving on.
The normal Kobolds seem to be pretty weak.
They"re probably about the same as Orcs.
Next.

I"m heading for the Kobold Fighter.
I thought it was going to be weak, since it"s having trouble dealing with Jean.
But it"s proving to be rather tough.

I hit it squarely in the chin, but its HP hasn"t decreased by a whole lot.
Still, I don"t feel threatened at all when it"s swinging its stone axe.
Its bite attacks are pretty fast.
There are not many monsters with the Bite skill.
Or rather, not many of them know how to use it well.
It"s not easy to bite an armed enemy, after all.
Still, they"re not required to have skills specifically to bite my fingers or ears.

And these Kobolds have dog-like heads. They can move in a way that humans can"t.
I can"t let my guard down.
Also, these Kobolds are physically stronger than I am.
I had to kick its legs in order to trip it. It felt good though.
Ripping some muscles, I mean.
They probably have higher AGI too.
They"re superior in terms of physical stats.

But it"s too bad that they"re just so predictable.
It"s giving me the advantage.
Their movements are wide, so it"s really easy for me to counterattack.

Senki is about to finish off the other monsters.
I won"t let him have this one.
He"s in a good spot to watch me fight.
I hope he doesn"t interfere.

I lock the Kobold Fighter"s wrists with my tonfas to stop his attack.
I pull it over using the tonfas, and kick its elbow with my knee.
It snapped.
It doesn"t matter how strong the monster is if I can break its bones.

「Groar!」

The monster makes a short howl, but I"m paying no heed to its suffering.
It"s already down to half of its HP.
And it can only use one arm.
I only need to watch out for its bite attacks.
I"m constantly punching and kicking the monster like a sandbag, causing its HP to drop steadily.
Good.
This is great practice.

After finishing off the Kobold Fighter, something happened.
It"s the Salamander.
It"s charging at us all of a sudden.

It"s shooting a fireball at Senki.
Now it"s lashing out its tongue at me like a whip.
Both attacks. .h.i.t us at the same time.
Dammit.
What the h.e.l.l is wrong with this guy?

Salamander　Lv.2
Spirit　Targetable　In Combat

Could it be that it"s going berserk now that the Kobold Shaman isn"t here to control it?
Normally, wouldn"t a summoned spirit disappear without its master?
I have so many questions, but I need to focus on the fight.
I just have to defeat it.

.I tried kicking it, but nothing happened.
In fact, I"m the one getting damaged.
d.a.m.n it.

「Enchanted Weapon!」

This time, I"m going to attack it with enchanted attacks.
I"ve managed to bring it down to half of its HP with a single kick.
What the h.e.l.l?
I don"t know if it"s strong or not.
I have an idea. I"ll try using Force Bullet.
I fire it in close range. It"s almost dead.
Spirits are a real piece of work.
This Salamander is weaker than the Area Portal guardians, but it"s still a bother.
I heard that Elves are able to summon spirits like this one.
Just like a Summoner.
But unlike Monster Summons, they belong to the【Spirit Summon】category.
They"re still similar in that they get stronger the more you use them though.
The major difference is that they don"t count as party members.
That makes them kind of convenient.

《【Dual Wield】Level Up!》
《【Mental Fort.i.tude】Level Up!》

I guess it was worth the trouble after all.
I"ll get the item drops.
These are some curious items I"m picking up.

【Material】Apricot　Raw Material　Grade C　Rarity 1　Weight 0+
An apricot. Its species is unknown.

【Material】Peach　Raw Material　Grade C　Rarity 3　Weight 0+
A peach. Its species is unknown.

I got the apricot from the Kobold. The Kobold Fighter dropped the peach, and the Kobold Shaman yielded nothing.
Um…
It"s completely different from the Orcs.
Needless to say, it"s different from the Goblins and Skeletons too.
These monsters are dropping usable items.

Alright, what should I do now?
I shouldn"t have to think. I"ll continue hunting.
Kobold a.s.sa.s.sins still pose a threat.
But I"m sure that developing a more efficient way to hunt monsters will pay off eventually.
I"ll stick to it a while more.

My first method is Call Monster.
I thought I could use it to determine their locations.
I can"t find any Kobold a.s.sa.s.sins.
The normal Kobolds, Kobold Fighters, and Kobold Shamans are here though.
And they"re in groups.
There"s too many of them.
Even though they"re a piece of cake, they"re still a bother.

Since I"ve already cast the spell…
I"ll call the closest Kobold Fighter.
The entire group is coming.
There isn"t a Kobold Shaman in this group, only 7 Kobolds and 1 Kobold Fighter.
Just when I thought it would be easier to defeat them…
Jean is reacting to something.
He"s flying past me and attacking something.
d.a.m.n it.
A Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin?
It looks like it.

I can tell that something is there.
I can get close to it and cast Dispel Magic.
But shouldn"t there be an easier way?

If my guess is correct, then I already have a countermeasure.
I"m casting a spell.
I think the spellcasting has become faster with the help of【Speedcasting】.

「Flashlight!」

Jean"s surroundings are lit up, but I still don"t see the monster.
But it"s still working.
I can see a shadow on the ground.
Oh.
That"s convenient.
Wait, I should have used it to aid my visibility in the first place!
Hmm…
I feel stupid.

Oops, I need to take care of the monster.
I"m using a leg sweep on the monster.
It fell over. Jean is attacking it, while Obsidian is joining in.
Senki grabs the monster and throws it onto the ground.
The shadow has stopped moving.
The monster"s body is gradually taking shape.

Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin　Lv.2
Monster　Enemy Target　Dead

So it was a Kobold a.s.sa.s.sin after all.
Did it die this fast because its level was lower?
Well, no complaints here.
The group of Kobolds is coming.
Obsidian has caught sight of another group of Kobolds.
These critters can call their allies.
I get the feeling that it"s going to be another long battle.

《【Synergy】Level Up!》
《Your Monster Summon『Jean』has leveled up!》
《Please add 1 point to a desired stat.》

Just how many groups did we kill?
I don"t remember at all.
How many Salamanders were here too?
I have a slight urge to count them.

I"ll put that aside for now, and focus on adding Jean"s stat.
His SPI has increased.
I"ll add 1 point to STR.

Monster Summon　Jean　Bat Lv5→Lv6（↑1）
　DEX　15
　AGI　18
　INT　12
　STR　11（↑1）
　VIT　11
　SPI　12（↑1）

Skills
Bite　Flight　Echolocation　Evade　Ambush　Suck Blood

Alright.
I"ll start getting the item drops from this pile of corpses.
It"s too bad they don"t drop anything interesting.
But I"ll do it anyway.

Senki and Goki are gathering the corpses while I"m doing the honors.
It feels like…
An a.s.sembly-line job.
It took more than 10 minutes to finish everything.
There are no guaranteed item drops from the Kobold Fighters, Kobold Shamans, and Kobold a.s.sa.s.sins.
But their drop rates are pretty good.
Astringent persimmons, peaches, chestnuts, apricot, cotton seeds, and camellia.
All of the item drops are fruits.

The normal Kobolds don"t drop items too often.
The only items I got from them were plums.
I probably have more than 10 now.

《【Appraise】Level Up!》

My Appraise skill has leveled up.
Well, anyway…
I could try eating one of the peaches, but it"s probably better to leave it in the hands of the Production job players.
I"ll store them for now.

I should review the information I have.
The most dangerous of the Kobolds would be the Kobold a.s.sa.s.sins.
The ones with the most developed fighting skills would be the Kobold Fighters.
They can disappear while approaching, so it"s extremely difficult to catch them.
What if they snuck up from behind and bit my throat?
I"d probably get slaughtered before I knew what hit me.
Magic users like me would probably die in one hit without Fighter-type armor.
Bite attacks are proving to be rather strong.

Taking that into consideration, even the normal Kobolds would be stronger than Orcs.
They have rudimentary weapons like knives and clubs, but they can bite too.
I got bitten a few times during the fight.
It was difficult to calculate the timing when they"re about to bite, and there were too many of them.
They do have strength in numbers.

Alright, should I continue hunting?
It"s 9 pm right now.
I still have about half of my MP remaining.
I"ll continue hunting at a smaller distance away from the shrine.

Is it how it is at night in this area?
Or is it because of the event?
I don"t know.
There are just too many monsters.
But increased risk should also mean increased reward.
But my only reward from killing Kobolds is fruits.
I still have plenty of s.p.a.ce in my《Item Box》. It feels like it"s bottomless.

I ended up hunting until about 11 pm.
Just killing Kobolds.
I encountered a Blitz, but it ran away with the Pa.s.sive status.
I"ve gotten a lot of plums.
And quite a few of the other fruits.
I"ve gotten a new fruit too – horse chestnuts.

I could teleport back, but I want to stay here and get more item drops to fill my《Item Box》tomorrow.
I"ll just head back to the shrine and logout when I get inside the tent.
Protagonist　Keith
Race　Human　Male　Racial Lv11
Job　Summoner Lv11
Bonus Points Remaining 12

Skill Sets
Staff Lv9　Punch Lv6　Kick Lv7　Joint Lock Lv6　Throw Lv6
Evade Lv6　Block Lv6　Summon Magic Lv11　s.p.a.cetime Magic Lv5
Light Magic Lv6　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　Steam Magic Lv4
Alchemy Lv6　Pharmacy Lv5　Gla.s.smaking Lv3　Woodworking Lv4
Synergy Lv9（↑1）Appraise Lv8（↑1）Identify Lv8　Discern Lv3　Cold Resistance Lv5
Grab Lv7　Horsemanship Lv7　Precise Manipulation Lv8　Jump Lv3
Heat REsistance Lv4　Climb Lv4　Dual Wield Lv6（↑1）Disa.s.sembly Lv4
Physical Fortification Lv4　Mental Fortification Lv5（↑1）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 Helmet　Rabid 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→Lv6（↑1）
　DEX　15
　AGI　18
　INT　12
　STR　11（↑1）
　VIT　11
　SPI　12（↑1）
Skills
Bite　Flight　Echolocation　Evade　Ambush　Suck Blood
Jericho　Wood Golem Lv5
Goki　Demon Lv5
Senki　Beast Ape Lv6
Rig　Slime Lv4
Bunraku　Wood Puppet Lv3
Mumyo　Skeleton Lv2