Chapter 4: First Experience
One year later.
Ike and I worked very hard.
We worked so hard you'd wonder if anyone else in early childhood ever tried this hard.
Here is the result.
【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 3
【Level】 1
【HP】 4/4
【MP】 2584/2585
【Strength】 3 (+1)
【Agility】 4 (+2)
【Magic】 18 (+8)
【Dexterity】 7 (+3)
【Endurance】 3 (+1)
【Luck】 30
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Eye (Lv 3)
【Unique Ability】 Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship B (Lv 1/17) (0→1)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic A (Lv 8/19) (5→8)
【Special Ability】 Holy Magic C (Lv 2/15) (0→2)
First, my MP increased drastically.
Around the time my MP got so high it became hard to deplete, I learned to coat my body in Wind Magic. I started consuming MP while training in swordsmanship, allowing me to efficiently drain my MP.
By the way, I named this magic of coating the body in wind 《Sylphid》.
It consumed 1 MP per second, so 60 per minute.
I couldn't achieve an explosive boost in physical ability yet, but while 《Sylphid》 was active, I could engage in a somewhat decent sword exchange with Ike, if only for a bit.
As I previously predicted, I confirmed that when magic levels up, the Magic stat increases by 1, and when Swordsmanship levels up, Agility and Dexterity each increase by 1.
For the record, even though I say "swordsmanship," I was training with a small wooden sword that even a three-year-old me could grip.
Ike's stats were growing too.
【Name】 Ike Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 6
【Level】 1
【HP】 12/12
【MP】 70/70
【Strength】 8 (+5)
【Agility】 9 (+4)
【Magic】 3 (+1)
【Dexterity】 6 (+3)
【Endurance】 8 (+5)
【Luck】 10
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship C (Lv 2/15) (1→2)
【Special Ability】 Spearmanship B (Lv 1/17) (0→1)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic C (Lv 1/15)
On the day he turned six, Ike's stats shot up. Perhaps stats increase with age after six.
Ike was being trained relentlessly in Swordsmanship and Spearmanship by our tutor, Frank.
He pushed himself quite hard and got injured a few times, but I healed him with 《Heal》 behind Frank's back.
As a result, Ike's Spearmanship level went up. It seemed Spearmanship also raised stats upon leveling up; his Strength and Endurance each rose by 1.
However, he was only allowed to use Fire Magic when Maria was watching, so he couldn't train it much. He couldn't exactly train inside the house, and even in the yard, one wrong move could cause a disaster.
And Ike's biggest growth was that he was starting to be able to swing the Salamander Sword.
Not just Zeke and Maria, but even Frank was surprised.
He could still barely swing it, but his growth rate was amazing.
Could it be that Ike was even more of a genius at hard work than I was?
And above all, the biggest change in our environment was the birth of the third Bryant child, our sister Lina.
Father Zeke: Brown hair.
Mother Maria: Brown hair.
Brother Ike: Red hair.
Me: Blonde hair.
And Lina: Brown hair.
Lina's appraisal result was like this:
【Name】 Lina Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 0
【Level】 1
【HP】 1/1
【MP】 0/0
【Strength】 1
【Agility】 1
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 1
【Endurance】 1
【Luck】 10
【Special Ability】 Water Magic D (Lv 0/13)
【Special Ability】 Earth Magic E (Lv 0/11)
She possessed skills that truly marked her as Zeke and Maria's child.
Lina wasn't just Zeke and Maria's idol; she was the idol for Ike and me too.
She was the first girl in the Bryant family—there was no way she wouldn't be cute.
Recently, I’d had more opportunities to meet neighborhood kids, and I appraised them every time, but I hadn't seen a single child with talent rank D or higher.
When I appraised children Ike's age yesterday, the results were like this:
First, a boy named Mobu.
【Name】 Mobu
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 6
【Level】 1
【HP】 8/8
【MP】 5/5
【Strength】 3
【Agility】 2
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 2
【Endurance】 3
【Luck】 1
Next, a girl named Pammi.
【Name】 Pammi
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 6
【Level】 1
【HP】 8/8
【MP】 5/5
【Strength】 2
【Agility】 2
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 3
【Endurance】 2
【Luck】 1
【Special Ability】 Rapier Arts G (Lv 0/5)
Do you understand just how amazing the Bryant kids are now?
All of us have talent rank D or higher.
In a sense, maybe Zeke and Maria are the ones with the amazing talent?
I couldn't help but think that if the number of Bryant family members increased, culling monsters would become much easier.
Well, even without saying anything, the number of children would probably keep increasing.
They were still only twenty-three; we'd probably get another two or three siblings.
One more thing caught my attention. Family names. Even commoners could use family names, but apparently, a registration fee was required, so few commoners bothered to register.
And today was the day of Ike's Rite of Appraisal.
It was a day when anyone who turned six could get appraised for free, but Ike had already been appraised, and more importantly, Zeke and Maria didn't want Ike's talent leaking out, so they didn't go to the church.
After finishing training without going to the church, the second Bryant Family Meeting was held today.
The agenda was the future of the Bryant family.
Excluding Lina, the four of us sat around the table.
"Now then, a year has passed since then. Personally, I think Ike and Mars have grown beyond my expectations. As I said last year, starting tomorrow, Ike and I will cull monsters outside the city. I want Mars to support us with Holy Magic too, but I want to hear everyone's opinion."
"I trained my hardest for this. I can't master the Salamander Sword yet, but I want to go outside the city with Dad and cull monsters. But without Mars's 《Heal》, I wouldn't have achieved these training results, so I want you to take Mars along too."
There was a reason Ike asked for permission for me to accompany them even after Zeke said he wanted my support.
It was to persuade Maria.
Maria wasn't absolutely against it, but her worry was naturally strong.
Outside the city, there were not only monsters but bandits too.
"I'm still anxious. If we take Mars, he can heal injuries to an extent with Holy Magic. There's no doubt combat will be more stable. But if we take him, we can't run away in an emergency. He's still three. Genius or prodigy aside, I think it's too early. I think it's still early even for Ike... If only I could go too, it would be fine, but with Lina here, that's impossible."
All three of us groaned. "Hrrrm."
Nobody was saying anything wrong. Everyone was thinking rationally.
I stayed silent, feeling I didn't have the right to speak on this matter.
Truth be told, I wanted to participate, but I understood what Maria was saying.
Actually, thinking normally, Maria was probably right.
It was Ike who broke the silence.
"I understand what Mom is saying, so can't we hire a guard quest from the guild for just one week? Or if there's someone Mom and Dad are close to and can rely on, can't we ask them?"
"For a guard quest, we'd have to nominate someone. And I can't think of anyone I'd feel comfortable nominating. None of our acquaintances are suitable. There are reasons we can't really meet with your grandparents. The only option left is a slave... but buying a slave requires money, and we have to take care of them afterward. Since we can't dive into the Dungeon, I don't want to make large expenditures."
Come to think of it, I had never met our grandparents, nor heard about them.
Something must have happened.
And I hadn't really thought about it, but diving into Dungeons must be quite profitable.
Everyone around us was a commoner. Being a Baronet meant being a commoner in a sense too, but I felt the standard of living of the Bryant family was clearly different from the surrounding commoners. I wondered how other Baronet families were doing.
Or maybe it wasn't that Dungeons were profitable, but simply that Zeke and Maria were excellent.
Also, apparently slaves existed in this world.
Hearing Zeke say we had to properly take care of slaves made me somewhat proud.
But we were completely stuck. Just as I thought that...
"What do you think, Mars? Tell me honestly," Maria asked.
"I want to go with Dad and Ike-nii. But I also understand what Mom is saying..."
"...Okay... then go as the three of you, as originally planned. However, don't go to distant places or places where magic pools easily. Also, you can't equip gear since you're still children, but gather the necessary tools and take them. Mars, since your HP is low, absolutely do not get close to monsters. There might be situations where you can't chant 《Heal》, so make sure to take potions. Honey, I'm counting on you."
Maria relented, so the three of us were able to go.
Starting tomorrow, monster hunting outside the city.
Actually, I didn't know much about the inside of the city either, so I was happy just to get out of the house.
"Be careful. Don't push yourselves."
Maria sent us three males off with those words.
"Leave it to me. I won't let the kids get hurt."
""We're off!""
Zeke held his staff and had a dagger at his waist, while Ike was equipped with a wooden sword.
I thought about taking a wooden sword too, but Maria opposed it and confiscated it. If a monster approached, I wasn't supposed to fight back, but use 《Wind》 to push it away or run. I was told fighting back was absolutely forbidden. Well, thinking normally, that made sense.
First, we headed to the Adventurer's Guild, where Zeke accepted a standing quest for monster subjugation.
Ike and I didn't enter the guild; we waited outside, a little distance away.
Bringing a three-year-old and a six-year-old into the guild would definitely cause a commotion.
When Zeke returned after accepting the quest, the three of us headed to the city's west gate.
The Dungeon City Almeria was surrounded on all four sides by large stone walls. There were only four entrances/exits, one in each cardinal direction.
There were guards at every gate, and apparently, you had to pass an inspection to enter or leave.
I heard later that this wasn't just to protect against external enemies, but more to seal the city off when monsters overflowed from the Dungeon.
I heard that every city was built like this.
We passed the west checkpoint without issue, and a grassy plain spread out before us like a green carpet.
Cows and goats were grazing in the distance.
Ike and I were captivated by the outside scenery for a while.
A few minutes later, Zeke said, "Let's get going," and we advanced into the plain.
"To think we'd find them this quickly," Zeke said with a slightly tense expression.
I didn't know what he meant.
I looked at Ike, and he didn't seem to understand either.
Then Zeke pointed.
"There are three goblins over there. Can you see them?"
Honestly, I couldn't tell, so I answered truthfully.
"I can't tell."
Ike didn't seem to see them either.
He was still staring hard in the direction Zeke was pointing.
"They're still far away. Okay, I'll show you an example. I'll take down two, so Ike, try defeating the remaining one. You should be able to take it down if you hit it with 《Fire》. Even if you miss, I'll take care of it, so don't worry."
With that, Zeke stood in front of us and walked slowly.
After advancing a bit, the goblins became visible to us too.
They were shorter than I thought. About the same size as Ike? Around 120 centimeters.
Their skin looked green mixed with a little brown.
We approached slowly so the goblins wouldn't notice us.
The goblins were laughing raucously, staring at the ground.
I tried appraising a goblin.
【Name】 -
【Title】 -
【Race】 Goblin
【Threat】 G
【State】 Good
【Age】 1
【Level】 1
【HP】 20/20
【MP】 1/1
【Strength】 7
【Agility】 4
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 1
【Endurance】 6
【Luck】 1
Threat Level G probably meant the weakest monster. But its Strength and Endurance were higher than the current me. About on par with Ike. Getting close to fight this one was probably a bad idea.
"Here we go. Watch first."
Zeke whispered in a low voice.
"《Earth Bullet》!"
A sharply pointed clod of earth directly hit and pierced the head of the goblin in the center.
The goblin hit by 《Earth Bullet》 fell silently, dead.
""Gya gya!?""
The remaining two turned toward us.
"《Earth Bullet》!"
This time, it directly hit the head of the goblin on the right.
The last remaining goblin charged at us without hesitation.
"Ike, ready with 《Fire》?"
Perhaps nervous, Ike didn't reply to Zeke's words, only nodding with a stiff expression.
"It's okay. If you can't beat it, I will. Give it a try."
Zeke spoke gently to the nervous Ike, and Ike replied after taking aim.
"Yes! 《Fire》!"
The 《Fire》 Ike released was sucked toward the goblin.
It hit the goblin directly, and the creature writhed on the spot for a few seconds, but it took a little time to die.
When Ike chanted 《Fire》 once more, it finally expired.
"Alright, well done. How was it?"
"It was a little scary, and my hands are still shaking a bit, but I think I'll get used to it if I defeat a few more."
Zeke nodded, then used the dagger hanging at his waist to remove magic stones from near the hearts of the first two goblins he defeated. Next, he took something like flint from his bag, started a fire, and burned the goblin corpses from which he had removed the stones.
"Once you defeat a monster, always take the magic stone. You can sell these at the guild. Though magic stones from Threat Level F and G monsters only fetch peanuts. Also, always burn monsters that appear outside at the end. We'd be in trouble if they turned into undead. However, materials from certain monsters can be used, so I'll explain that later. For now, Ike, try taking the magic stone from the goblin you defeated."
Ike approached the burning goblin as instructed and successfully retrieved the magic stone.
"Good. Next. This time, Ike, try using your wooden sword. If it looks dangerous, I'll jump in immediately, so don't worry. Mars, prepare your Holy Magic."
Saying that, he began searching for the next prey.
"Dad, if a goblin appears next, I want to tri magic too."
Zeke shook his head at my words.
"Unfortunately, you can't defeat monsters with 《Wind》, so no."
"Yeah. I'm thinking of using 《Wind Cutter》, not 《Wind》. Iz 《Wind Cutter》 no good either?"
"Wh-!? You learned 《Wind Cutter》? Where?"
"It happened by chance while I was using the beginner magic 《Air Blade》... When I asked Mom, she told me there was a magic called 《Wind Cutter》, so I was training in a safe place."
"...I see. Then, shall we test it next?"
"Yeah!"
It didn't take long to find the next target.
Three goblins again.
The difference from last time was that the goblins had already noticed us.
The distance was about a hundred meters.
The goblins were running toward us. They weren't that fast.
"Mars! I don't know your range, so fire 《Wind Cutter》 when they enter your range! Once Mars fires, I'll fire 《Earth Bullet》 too! Ike, try defeating the remaining one with your sword."
""Yes.""
The goblins approached.
Fifty meters.
Forty meters.
Thirty meters.
Aim for the neck. With my right hand charged with all the magic I could muster, I made a swinging motion and shouted.
"《Wind Cutter》!"
My 《Wind Cutter》 took the goblin's head off with ease.
Right after, Zeke's 《Earth Bullet》 pierced another goblin's head.
After Zeke stabbed his dagger into the remaining goblin's right shoulder, Ike readied his wooden sword and faced the goblin.
The goblin closed in, protecting its right shoulder with its left hand. Without any means of attack, the goblin was continuously slashed by Ike's wooden sword until it died.
We continued defeating goblins smoothly.
I kept taking down goblins with 《Wind Cutter》.
Ike also burned goblins to death with 《Fire》.
About an hour in, Ike said with a beaming smile,
"I feel like I got stronger!"
So I appraised him.
【Name】 Ike Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 6
【Level】 2 (+1)
【HP】 12/17
【MP】 20/71
【Strength】 10 (+2)
【Agility】 11 (+2)
【Magic】 4 (+1)
【Dexterity】 6
【Endurance】 10 (+2)
【Luck】 10
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship C (Lv 2/15)
【Special Ability】 Spearmanship B (Lv 1/17)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic C (Lv 1/15)
Ooh, his level definitely went up.
But since I hadn't told anyone about the Heavenly Eye, I asked in a harmless tone,
"Ike-nii, amazing! What does it feel like?"
"I feel like my body got lighter somehow. I don't know if I really leveled up, though."
It seemed the effect of leveling up was significant enough to feel the difference.
I checked my own status, but I hadn't leveled up yet.
Because of 【Heavenly Gift】, I needed three times the experience of others.
"It's early today, but let's head back in a bit. I want to eat lunch with the whole family."
I wanted to do more, but Zeke called it. Thinking he wouldn't take me again if I was selfish, I nodded silently. Ike nodded the same way.
After that, we defeated five more goblins and returned to the city. It was just before noon.
We stopped by the guild to complete the subjugation quest.
Considering the amount we received, it would be difficult to support a family on monsters like this.
I had to work harder and become more useful.
We arrived home just past noon. Maria was surprised we returned earlier than expected, but she seemed relieved that everyone came back safe.
After eating lunch, I trained a little and slept. I wasn't satisfied unless I depleted my MP at least twice a day.
And the next day, we headed outside the city again.
Today's goal was my level up.
I searched for enemies early, and defeated goblins with 《Wind Cutter》.
About an hour after starting the hunt, my level finally rose.
【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Commoner
【State】 Good
【Age】 3
【Level】 2 (+1)
【HP】 9/9
【MP】 2484/2590
【Strength】 6 (+3)
【Agility】 7 (+3)
【Magic】 22 (+4)
【Dexterity】 10 (+3)
【Endurance】 6 (+3)
【Luck】 30
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Eye (Lv 3)
【Unique Ability】 Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship B (Lv 1/17)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic A (Lv 8/19)
【Special Ability】 Holy Magic C (Lv 2/15)
All stats except Luck went up by 3, and Magic went up by 4.
I thought my talent was amazing, if I do say so myself.
"I think I leveled up too! I feel a little power welling up!"
"Mars might level up slowly, but you're growing steadily, so don't rush and keep doing your best."
When I told him I leveled up, Zeke encouraged me.
We continued hunting goblins relentlessly after that.
Apparently, Ike's level went up again.
Even so, there were an awful lot of goblins.
I think we easily defeated a hundred between yesterday and today, but the encounter rate wasn't decreasing.
We hunted until evening, and on the way back, I asked Zeke.
"Are there always this many goblins?"
"No, this time is abnormal. I'll report it to the guild."
Zeke went to report the quest completion and the abnormal goblin outbreak to the guild.
After a while, he returned from the guild with a gloomy face.
Something must have happened. But neither Ike nor I asked about it.
If it was information we needed, Zeke would definitely tell us.
When we arrived home, Maria welcomed us.
And after dinner, Zeke spoke.
"Apparently, there are signs of a Stampede recently to the east of Almeria. Adventurers of E-rank and below seem busy culling monsters in the east. And D-rank and above adventurers are in the Dungeon. It would be the worst-case scenario if monsters overflowed from the Dungeon, after all. That can't be helped. However, goblins are also appearing abnormally on the west side. When I reported that, the guild issued a nominated quest. They want us to investigate the west side. The reward is quite high, but honestly, I'm hesitant. If we leave it alone, danger will approach our family, but investigating is also dangerous. I want to hear everyone's opinion."
Ike offered his opinion first.
"I think we should go investigate. If it's just goblins, Mars and I can be of help."
However, Maria countered this immediately.
"It's too dangerous. If only goblins appear, that's fine, but the reason goblins are coming near the city might be that something stronger settled in their nesting grounds and drove them out. Goblins are among the weakest of monsters. We might manage against something like a kobold, but an orc pack would be too dangerous."
I spoke up too.
"I want to go investigate too. But I'll pass for now since I might become a burden. I promised Mom I wouldn't go to dangerous places anyway. When does the nominated quest need to be done by? Can't we postpone it?"
"Hrm. What Maria and Mars say is correct. Of course, I want to go investigate too, but... Let's put the nominated quest on hold for now. We'll continue culling monsters near the city as we have been. I want to let you fight kobolds too. Maria, thank you. And sorry. I made you take on the bad role. Is that okay, Ike?"
"Yes. I'll brace myself and do my best again starting tomorrow!"
After that, we continued hunting goblins near the city for a while.
Occasionally kobolds appeared, but I could defeat them immediately with 《Wind Cutter》.
For the record, kobold stats looked like this:
【Name】 -
【Title】 -
【Race】 Kobold
【Threat】 G
【State】 Good
【Age】 1
【Level】 1
【HP】 15/15
【MP】 1/1
【Strength】 5
【Agility】 7
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 1
【Endurance】 4
【Luck】 1
A single one was just a little quick and easy to defeat, but they usually swarmed.
When ten appeared together, we wiped them out while retreating.
We wanted to fight in as advantageous a position as possible.
Even so, we took some hits. Zeke acted as a shield so Ike and I wouldn't get attacked. However, perhaps trying to let us gain experience, I had yet to see Zeke's 《Earth Fortress》.
And so, a little less than a year passed.
Post a Comment