The day after I received the reward for subduing the goblins.

I had revisited the Wartz Great Forest.

Yesterday I had taken down 146 goblins.

A request for a 【Goblin Subjugation】 is treated as one quest for every 20 goblins.

So, in order to rank up to C, I need to defeat 54 more.

That was taken care of in the morning.

All I need to do now is report the proof of subjugation to the guild, and I can proudly rank up to C.

I was also able to get a 【Goblin Hunter】 achievement for defeating 200 goblins.

Achievements can be obtained through monster subjugation, skill unlocks, and such. There are SP bonuses according to the difficulty of acquisition.

As someone who is after the 【Spatial Magic 】 skill, which requires a lot of SP, I want to actively acquire achievements.

But I’ll put off getting achievements for now.

Today’s goal is to go from the outskirts, a bit further into the forest.

I’m here to defeat monsters like hobgoblins and orcs that give good experience points.

Of course, compared to lower-level monsters like goblins, these foes have increased HP.

So, it will be difficult to defeat them like before.

However, it will only be difficult.

If I don’t mess up the composition of my stats, they are just as insignificant monsters as the goblins.

I spend SP to acquire skills.

The skills I’m getting are two.

【Swordsmanship Lv.3】 and 【Body Technique Lv.3】

I had an unexpected windfall with leveling up in the mock battles, so I decided to level up these skills.

And by leveling up my 【Swordsmanship】 skill, a new skill is unlocked.

That skill is 【One-Handed Swordsmanship】.

This is a skill that applies corrections when using weapons in the one-handed sword category.

I’ll use the remaining small amount of SP to acquire the 【One-Handed Swordsmanship】 skill as well.

With this, the correction of 【STR】 is added to my attack power, and my DPS will improve from where it is now.

Even if I’m against high-HP orcs or hobgoblins, I should be able to defeat them with a few hits.

I haven’t increased 【HP】 or 【VIT】 at all, but that’s not a problem because I won’t be taking damage.

After finishing my lunch, I start exploring the forest right away.

Orcs and hobgoblins aren’t rare monsters, so I found them easily in a few minutes.

What I found was an orc.

As soon as I spot it, it seems to have noticed me as well and attacks me, swinging its club.

The sight of a nearly 2-meter tall body rushing at me instills fear.

But, if you know the pattern of behavior, you can handle it quite easily.

I avoid the club that’s swung from above with minimum movement.

When it stops, I strike with my new 【Iron Sword】.

I aim for the leg.

It felt heavier than I thought to cut through the flesh, and I only managed to make a shallow wound.

The Orc’s 【HP】 displayed on my 【Appraisal】 skill hasn’t even been reduced by 10%.

But it seems that having slashed at its leg has made it slower.

Its subsequent charges and swings of its club are noticeably slower.

In addition, its 【HP】 was intermittently decreasing, perhaps due to blood loss.

These two points are different from the game.

In the game, even if were to slash its leg, there would be no change in motion, and the continuous damage from bleeding was one of the state abnormalities that occurred only with a specific attack.

What about fractures?

While avoiding the Orc’s attack, I slam the belly of my Iron Sword into its knee.

“――⁉ ――‼”

An unpleasant sound and sensation of something breaking.

A scream that couldn’t be voiced was spun from the orc’s mouth.

From the intense pain, the orc let go of its club and writhed on the spot.

When I check the orc’s 【HP】, over a third of it was shaved off in one go.

It’s safe to say that a fracture is judged as a critical.

Ugh.

The durability of my Iron Sword has decreased.

It’s not to the point where I need to change weapons immediately, but the rate of durability decrease is clearly higher than when using it normally.

If I use it roughly, the equipment will wear out that much quicker.

I’ll remember that.

There’s no reason to torment the orc any further, so I behead it in one breath, also as a thank you for cooperating in my experiment.

A spray goes up.

At the same time, the remaining 【HP】 of the Orc burst and flew away in an instant.

From the current feeling, monsters at this level will probably be fine unless something extraordinary happens.

There doesn’t seem to be anything affecting combat in particular.

The pattern of behavior also didn’t change from the game.

I can fight sufficiently even with my current stats.

Let’s move on to checking the spoils while reflecting on the battle.

First, the club the orc was using.

I hate to say it, but this doesn’t have much value.

The material is wood, and the build is rough.

Even if I were to sell it, it seems that the only demand would be for firewood.

The orc itself.

There are uses for this.

The meat is edible, and if the skin is processed, it can be used as armor.

But unfortunately, I have no means to carry it.

The subjugation of orcs is a request from C rank and above, so I can’t submit proof of subjugation to the guild.

What a waste.

But I can’t bear to throw it away.

I simply can’t accept the idea of giving tens of kilograms of meat to other monsters.

It’ll use up one slot in my inventory, but I decide to store it for emergency rations.

Lastly, my level.

The change in the 【EXP】 gauge was smaller than I expected.

This must be because my level significantly increased from the mock battle with Theo last night.

In the end, I defeated a total of 17 hobgoblins and 11 orcs today.

Since I prioritized safety, the number I hunted is inevitably small.

My level has only risen by two as well.

I guess I got too much experience from the mock battles after all.

But the most efficient hunting ground for experience at the moment is still here.

…Maybe I should leave the town of Loine?

Heading for the next town might be a good idea, as it could provide a more efficient hunting ground for experience, and also for acquiring achievements.

Besides, I want to see more of this world.

Sightseeing.

Going to various places, seeing various landscapes, eating various foods.

Things I couldn’t do in my previous life, I can do now.

Being an adventurer isn’t just about hunting monsters.

I might be able to enjoy this life more, through entertainment and such.

For that, I’ll need money.

I’ll stay in the town of Loine for a few more days, partly to earn some travel money.

Today, learning from yesterday’s mistake, I wrap up my hunting early enough to be able to return to the Adventurer’s Guild during business hours.

However, trouble suddenly strikes.

In the forest, on my way back to Loine, after deciding on my future plans, a man emerges from the thicket.

“—Yo, brat.”