Finally, I got assigned my first, proper mission!

After getting a high Silver-badge, a lot more adventure requests are available for me in the register.

Currently, I've got some extermination mission. Some citizens are concerned about a boom in a local monster population.

It's breeding season or something.

But, that's totally stupid! Winter is coming in two or so months, so why breed when there’s going harsh conditions?

I mean, that's basically like asking your kids to starve to death or something.

Maybe the monsters are increasing population so there’s a higher chance to survive? If survival rate is, say, 1%, increasing population would let your species have a higher chance to survive.

But, raising children costs energy, and you have to share food, blah blah blah. So why would you want to sacrifice your own possible survival for the overall general species survival?

I can't figure this out.

Maybe when I see them, it'll make sense?

They could be polar bears or something animal that thrives in the cold.

But - here’s the best thing about getting Silver-badge - I don't have to pay administration fees when entering other towns!

I like Windport, but in the long run, I feel like I'll be travelling a lot.

Not to sound obnoxious, but at the rate I'm going, soon Windport won't have missions worth my time.

I should be able to get Diamond-badge in… two months?

So essentially when winter hits, I'll become a living legend!

The carriage I was riding on comes to an abrupt stop, and I cease my thoughts.

"Madam, you have arrived at the destination," says one of the villagers - the ones who sent out the request.

"Thank you," I reply.

I got a free ride, which is nice. I step out of the carriage, watching the woman ride back to the villiage next to Windport.

I scan my surroundings, looking for the 'Zi's'

The only information I got about them is that they look like monkeys with pear shaped heads.

I don't see anything here.

Just a bunch of trees.

Trees… with pears growing on them?

I don't know man, seems suspicious. Do pears really grow in Travia?

I fire a dark bullet at it.

The 'pear' screeches in pain. And then, it grows into a…

...Monkey?

What the hell is going on?

Are they masters of disguise or something?

To be honest, that seems kind of stupid.

Oh well, I've got a job to do.

I give a quick [Appraisal] to guise the strength of these monkeys.

Nameless

Level: 23 Rank: C Class: (primary): None Class (secondary): None

Health: 208

Damage: 235

Mana: 224

Speed: 203

Titles: None

Skills: [Cooperation Lv3], [Camouflage Lv9], [Bite Lv4]>

Okay?

This guy is actually really weak!

I shoot it on the neck with a dark bullet.

The Zi's head falls from the tree, it's body entirely evaporated. Um, I may have gone a bit overboard with that attack.

But - I thought there was a monkey outbreak? All I saw was a single one. Where are the others?

As if answering my question, the other 'pears' open their eyes, dropping off from the tree.

Before me, stands roughly a hundred or so monkeys.

Really?

This is no sweat.

Each of them has stats averaging at 200. Even the normal Kemoths had stats at 300-ish, and I easily killed them off back then, despite actually having lower stats.

This mission is sweet!

[Absorption] steals a fraction of enemy stats, so after sweeping these monkeys, my stats will take a massive jump forward, going all the way to...600?

Wait, what? 600?!

Right now, my stats average at 350!

Forget what I said before, I can probably make lower Diamond-badge in just one or two weeks!

Now, come to mama, juicy slabs of experience!

Just the thought brings a light chuckle to my lips.

The overgrown monkeys mindlessly charge at me recklessly, baring a set of yellow, overgrown fangs, and stubby nails.

Hmm... Now might be a good time to try out a new technique.

I fire a volley of dark bullets in random directions. However, instead of using a spray'n'pray method, some dark bullets veering off course suddenly click into position, acting like missiles, curving around to skewer the moneys.

I quickly glance at my mana, which is nearly deplenished. And I only took out 20 monkeys.

Arrg! If only this move didn't cost so much mana to pull off!

Maybe I shouldn't have gotten cocky and used such a mana-draining move?

I mean, without mana, I'm not that strong. Not weak, but not strong either.

[Dark Magic] is my strongest offensive skill - my two special skills don't actually benefit from a head-on fight. Well, maybe [Appraisal] could help in a battle by giving me info about my enemy, but in practicality, it's still pretty useless.

During the Silver-badge examination, even I could tell how much [Dark Magic] had helped!

With raw stats alone, I certainly couldn't have done as good as I did.

Without magic, my stats are...

...400?! Oh boy, what a hype!

+50 to all stats, just like that, in one attack!

Haha! Gold-badge, here I come!

Thank the gods for [Absorption]!

Well, before I got lost in thought, what was I thinking about?

Ah, right. How did I get homing missiles, you ask? Well, the answer is quite simple. Hard to explain, though.

Let me think of how I should say it.

...

Everyone has a shadow, right? And that shadow contains darkness. I can control and manipulate that darkness in order to carry out some moves such as shadow warping.

For shadow warping, I really just designate a shadow to latch onto, before vacuuming both my physical body and my shadow into the designated shadow...

...That still sounds confusing, doesn't it?

Basically, I'm not really teleporting. I'm just travelling through a network of shadows.

First off, I coalesce with my shadow. That way, I can be bypassed as 'darkness'.

I then connect my shadow with someone or something else’s using [Dark Magic]. If there's pre-existing darkness, I can save mana.

I then travel through that passageway of darkness.

That's why shadow warping costs so much mana to pull off - I have to envelope myself in darkness to become part of my shadow, select a point to travel to, and create 'roads' of blackness to travel through, taking me to another area.

With homing bullets, the concept is similar. I just traced a shadow for the bullet to follow.

And a 'shadow' isn't just that hulking lump on the ground shaped like you. No, it can be much more, making [Dark Magic] truly exceptional.

Anywhere coated by even the slightest slither of darkness count as a shadow.

The blacker the shadow, the more effective [Dark Magic] is.

So essentially, anything can be a shadow. By just existing, thousands of shadows are created. I mean, think of the patches of fur on the body of the monkeys.

How many shadows would that create?

The upside is that by tracing my dark bullets, they can never miss.

Obviously, the downside is the massive mana consumption. Just one homing bullet drains roughly fifty mana. And the stronger the attack, the harder it is to manipulate, making big attacks cost even more mana to home.

Back then when I was on rapid fire, only 6 shots became embedded with homing.

I just got lucky that most the shots hit without any interference.

Enough talk...not enough action!

With my mana somewhat regenerated, I cloak both my legs in blackness. As the horde of monkeys bounce toward me, I quickly warp behind one, smugly spectating the monkey’s swipe at thin air.

Landing atop the pear-headed monkey, I boot it, crushing its head.

The, I slash with my daggers, slicing another monkey, slitting open its stomach.

The gang of monkeys look back in surprise, before reacting quickly readjusting, turning and swivelling to face me once again.

However, I simply warp behind them again, gutting two monkeys and firing a black bullet which shreds three monkeys.

The ones that took a direct hit from my bullet of blackness evaporate, leaving nothing behind but their fangs. The ones I cut up spurt blood and guts everywhere.

It’s kind of disgusting, but free stats and XP is a yes please!

The monkeys turn their heads at me again. Gee, this sure is getting repetitive. I warp behind the crowd again. However, the monkeys begin screeching at each other, before all turning to face random directions.

Okay, these guys are smarter than I though.

I still won't give them much credit, though.

Even though I can't sneak around with eyes peering in all directions, them splitting up just makes it easier to pick them off one at a time.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

But at the same time, I'm totally susceptible to sneak attacks.

I feel a brittle arm pull on my armour, heaving me backwards

Noo! I just had to jynx myself, damn it!

Unable to react in time, I flail around, managing to lop the gnarly hand off.

I see another monkey trying to jump me, so I smash my foot in its face, listening to the satisfyingly grim crack.

With more mana refilled, I snape a gang of monkeys with a large black bullet.

It’s not as strong as a bullet of void - my darkest, strongest attack, but it's as strong as a weak abyssal bullet - my second strongest long-range attack.

The ones hit face-on vaporise on the spot, their fangs crashing onto the ground. Some manage to escape the vortex - with gaping holes jutting out.

Give them enough time, and they'll die off on their own.

I warp behind some more monkeys, rapidly swindling my daggers to finish them off one by one. I glance at the bloody corpses sprawled across the battlefield.

Well, it isn't exactly a battle. More like a one-sided slaughter.

Doing a quick [Appraisal] count, it seems live I’ve killed sixty-five monkeys or something.

Even better, my mana is filled to the brim once more.

Instead of using a large, powerful blast of black magic, I switch to an alternate strategy, trying something else.

I modify my manipulation of mana and begin raining a light spray of shadow magic.

Each shot takes roughly two or three mana to initiate, and if it forms a direct hit, it would be like getting punched in the face.

It isn't that strong, but it hinders the movement of the monkeys so some extent.

Besides, it still does chip damage. It's not as flashy as a stronger attack, but it still does work.

The horde of monkeys scramble around frantically, trying to dodge the onslaught of shadow bullets.

But their disorganisation really just makes it easier to finish them off.

Gone were the strategic formations.

Not that they worked when I could warp around and easily slip in to break the formation.

But now?

They're all dishevelled.

I warp behind the monkey on the lowest health, battering it to death with point-blank shadow bullets.

With only a few left, I snipe two monkeys with my daggers, before releasing the black coating on my feet - transforming the remaining mana to powerful dark bullets which shred a squad of monkeys.

I warp behind the final one, before killing it with a kick.

All basic attributes increased.

Level-up proficiency acquired.

Proficiency has reached required level

Skill [Run Lv5] has become skill [Run Lv6]

Proficiency has reached required level

Skill [Rationality Lv4] has become skill [Rationality Lv5]

Proficiency has reached required level

Skill [Concentration Lv4] has become skill [Concentration Lv5]

Skill points acquired

Combat points acquired

50% of max health recovered>

I throw a mental party, before automatically allocating my CP in speed.

Well, I wonder how much I grew this time. I give myself an [Appraisal].

Name: Rena Shinohara

Level: 23 Rank: F Class (primary): None Class (secondary): None

Health: 584

Damage: 621

Mana: 565

Speed: 678

Titles: [Underdog], [Monster Hunter], [Monster Slayer], [Dungeon Master], [Demon Lord]

Skills: [Absorption], [Appraisal], [Melee Lv10], [Reparation Lv8], [Dark Magic Lv9], [Run Lv6], [Resentment Lv4], [Rationality Lv5], [Concentration Lv5], [Pain Resistance Lv6]>

As I predicted, my stats average at around 600. Speed; my highest stat, is close to breaking the 700 mark.

Relatively, my health stat fell off quite a lot.

I mean - the portion of stats I get really just relates to the enemies I kill. And these monkeys aren’t tanky, so I [Absorbed] less health stats.

My mana is rising pretty well. I think I'd like to kill some magic-centred monsters so I can boost my mana.

I'm happy with the rest though.

In theory, speed is my highest stat, but in practice, my damage is my strongest suit.

Most of the enemies I fight right now are rank C.

Thanks to underdog, I can double my damage on C-ranks, meaning I have a 1,200-attack stat!

1,200!

I had to repeat it twice, because... 1,200!

That means that in practice, I already have a stat reaching Diamond-badge!

Feels good to be strong.

...

...Well, I completed the mission, so I suppose I should return to the village in Windport?

Or maybe I should go directly to the Adventurer's Guild with these fangs as evidence that I completed my mission?

I guess I'll go directly to the Adventurer's Guild.

As I trod along an unpaved, rocky road, I recheck my skill list.

To be honest, some skills such as [Rationality] are pretty useless. Before, I would pick up a lot of random level 1 skills, but that hasn't happened in a longtime.

So, I think it’s because my 10 skill slots are full. I quickly scan some possible solutions.

When I purchase a skill with my SP, I can switch it for another skill while also transferring the proficiency. But here’s the issue - if I delete a skill, not only do I temporarily have a missing skill slot, but I can't pass on proficiency.

It would just be like wasting a tone of time on a skill.

And, I hate being wasteful.

Is this a mid-life crisis I'm experiencing?

I’m only...

...huh.

I've never bothered thinking about it, but my memory tells me I'm 19.

Yet, I've got this weird gut feeling that I'm 16 or 17.

I don't know why.

It... just is?

Er, I guess I'll be 19. Logic and reasoning over deja vu

Well, as I was saying, I'm too young to have a mid-life crisis.

Maybe more like the struggle in choosing a college or uni?

Arg., I hate wasting stuff, but long term, the best way to progress is to delete some skills. What is my least used skill right now?

Probably [Resentment]. It's also the lowest level, so it has the least stocked up proficiency.

Alright, here goes nothing.

Yes, damn it!

As soon as I delete [Resentment], a ton of level 1 skills pop up. It asks if I wish to select another skill.

I check the list.

I see a skill I find interesting.

[Vampirism].

This is life steal, right? Life steal is yet another stupidly broken card in the deck. This has to be lifesteal, right?

I give a quick [Appraise] to doublecheck.

<[Vampirism] (active): Replenish a small fraction of the desired force when initiating damage.>

Um, this [Appraisal] result sounds a bit... vague. What do you mean by desired force?!?!

I do some quick back-to-back [Appraisals], before finally feeling confident about the skill.

This is even better than I thought!

Basically, dealing damage doesn't have to recover health. I can recharge either one of the following: mana, stamina and health.

Obviously, I want to replenish mana.

Magical attacks still do damage, which means I can recover mana as I attack!

And my basic kicking and stuff also recovers mana, I think.

I excitedly choose [Vampirism].

Rena Shinohara has acquired skill [Vampirism Lv1]>

The first thing I do is set recovery force to mana.

I have GOT to power level this skill when I can!

The Gold-badge examination is in a month. Should I go for it?

In a month, I'm certain I can reach Diamond-badge purely stat-wise. Maybe I can graze Mithril with skills combined?

That's got to be suspicious.

Even the best adventurer can't jump from bronze to diamond in one month!

Besides, adventurers usually meet a standstill once their level has reached a certain point; levelling up and getting the CP is just too hard because of cumulative experience.

Maybe I should get Gold-badge, before leaving this town and going for Diamond as a 'new' adventurer under a secret identity?

I can just lie about my rank and class.

[Inspection] doesn't work on other people, so really, all the Guild can do is trust you and assess your strength though examinations.

If I say I'm an A-rank dagger user in the next month, I think it'll sound pretty believable.

But, leaving means saying goodbyes.

Gyras, Yache and Harwel especially.

Mostly Harwel.

She's actually broken into my inner circle.

It's not a bad thing, that's for sure.

It's just that no-one else has.

Maybe her agro, yandere personality helped?

My mind finally stops wandering after getting lost in thought.

I look at the gate and the guard.

D'oh!

I'm so stupid!

I was too busy thinking, I totally forgot about using my dungeon to warp directly to town!

Well, I'm already here, so...

Staggering awkwardly to the gate, the guard recognises me and lets me in without paying any administration fee.

Because I went off on a mission, I think.

I glimpse at the clock I set up with [Appraisal] in the corner of my eye.

14:34

Alrighty, good.

Misaki should have ended her shift a while ago.

I walk into the guild, and march directly to the receptionists stand.

Charles sits on a comfy looking chair, totally spaced out.

I wave my hand at him frantically, before he finally notices.

"Did you complete your mission already, Rena?"

"Yeah," I say, giving him three pouchfuls of monkey teeth as proof.

He ticks something, before giving me two gold coins.

He then goes to take the pouches, but I stop him, tugging on his arm.

"...The fuck?" he asks, bemused.

"I'm selling the fangs to someone else."

He just shrugs, and ands the pouches back.

"Congratulations on high Silver," he says, cheerfully.

Knowing this guy, he's probably happy about his own promotion or whatever after I got promoted.

"I got promoted to head receptionist," he waffles.

I tilt my head. Really, this guy? The slouch got promoted to head receptionist?

I don't buy it.

"Yeah, sure you did," I reply in a sarcastic tone.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. It might seem like I shit around, but that's only cause I finish all my work first."

Now that I think about, he's not wrong.

Like one of those 'work hard, play hard' guys?

Nah more like a 'work lazily but still do it fast because you're talented but you don't try, sleep lazily' person.

Like the smart kid who doesn't try but still gets good grades, kind of?

…I won't lose this battle!

I respond with another sarcastic comment.

"If you say so."

And with that, I quickly depart.

Next, I talk through some streets, before entering a familiar shop, small bells chiming as I walk in.

Gyras pops out from behind a stand. I swear, every time, he makes an entrance like that!

He looks delighted to see me.

"Ah, 'ello there, 'lil missus Rena, watch'yer 'ere fer now, eh?"

Yeah, his accent is totally growing stronger. I dangle pouches of Zi teeth.

"So, 'yer 'ere ta sell?"

"Yep"

As he counts the fangs, I waddle around the shop. Apart from my boots, the rest of my gear have stats that are too low.

I'm sure these are normally supposed to last for a long time, but my rate of growth is, well... not normal.

And armour is expensive, you know?

Right now, the [Black Daggers] I create with mana have higher stats than my [Ebony Daggers]!

As Gyras makes some calculations, he begins to chatter.

"Anything 'yer lookin' ta buy? I 'heard that 'yer got a 'igh Silver-badge! Surely 'yer armour ain't able ta keep up?"

Well, he's not wrong. But how does he know about my promotion?

"You know I got promoted?"

"'Course Ah know! 'Yer ta talk of ta town! Classless F-rank ta 'igh Silver inna week!"

If you put it that way, I do suppose it's impressive. Well, I might as well get straight to the point and discuss business.

I ask Gyras if I can get discounted prices if I give him the raw materials for him to form into weapons.

He says yes, as long as I supply the materials.

Well, I manage to get three gold coins from the pouch of teeth, before excusing myself.

There's a reason I asked that question.

On the Mission Request’s' board, I was a request that caught my eye.

It's a group quest, ranked for middle B-badges.

Basically, we have to enter a dungeon and kill an anomaly dragon evolution.

Its stats are roughly 1,600-ish. According to the bestiary, anyway.

If I could get a hold of two of those claws, the weapons made would be amazing!

Will they let me in though?

It is a Gold-badge mission request, after all. High Silver-badge is close enough, but the Guild is pretty strict when it comes to rules.

Well, all I can really do is pray, and hope for the best.

The mission is in a week, say I guess I'll bulk up during that time?

I do want to train [Vampirism], which probably can't gain proficiency in my dungeon since there are no monsters to kill. Besides, I know I sound cocky, but I feel like I could even solo a mid B-rank.

Hmmm... Yache should know all the best hunting sports, right?

Maybe I'll go ask him. But first, I message Harwel, asking if she'd like to join me power levelling for the extermination mission. Although, I feel like she probably won't get accepted.

Unlike me, her stats can't rapidly increase from one power levelling session.

So, her 300-ish stats probably won't make the cut.

...It's the thought that counts, right?

Talking about my power, here’s something even better - [Underdog]!

Thanks to this insane title, I deal x3 damage to B-ranks!

Meaning, my theoretical damage if I get accepted into that mission would be nearly 2,000!

[Underdog] is a super rare, and difficult to obtain title, so although it seems overpowered, its effects are actually balanced when you take stats into consideration. I sort of cheat the usual levelling system with [Absorption], but normally, a F-rank killing, say, a swarm of C-ranks would be literally impossible.

I mean, you really expect someone with stats of 20 to beat a gang of ferocious monsters with tenfold stats; 200?

Unreal...

Maybe being F-rank isn't so bad. My low ranked helped me obtain some super rare titles, such as [Dungeon Master] and [Underdog].

I wait for Harwels reply, which comes much sooner than expected.

She literally replied near-instantly!

Well, she seems hyped about grinding, which is nice.

Apparently, her treatment for the toxins ends in a day, so she'll be back in service soon.

Walking along the road, I suddenly stop in my tracks.

Oops.

I have no idea where Yache lives.

For a moment, I almost considered asking Charles or Guild Master Koya for his address, but that’s creepy.

I'm no stalker! Cross my heart!

Well, I guess I'll explore town a bit more? I've only really been in one area.

From my perspective, this town is small. I lived in Tokya, okay?

But I feel like relatively, Windport is pretty big.

In a medieval world with monsters, I’m surprised land could have been expanded so much.

Though, I guess you have to thank the Adventurer's Guild for that.

They're like a world-renown pest-control company. Kind of. Barely.

After buying and selling stuff, I've got 18 gold coins in total now.

If this were Earth, I think I'd save up my cash for retirement or whatever, but here, I'm living in the present!

No regard for my future, live young die young!

...I was considering getting some new armour, but here’s the issue - I outgrow my gear too fast.

By the time I manage to save up enough money for a full C-rank set of armour, my stats will probably have reached maybe...2,000?

I mean, the [Highwalker Boots] alone cost 30 gold coins!

There’s also this coin above Gold with waay more value. I didn't even know it existed until I asked [Appraisal], since no-one even uses it.

It’s for nobility or something, because they're poshos.

But the name is stupid: Copper coins.

One copper coin is worth 1,000 gold coins.

Like, seriously, what the hell?

Why is copper so much more valuable than gold?

That's a parallel world for you.

Well, I don't care about finance.

First off, I don't even need to eat!

Thank you, [Reparation].

And, I have my won, personal mansion in the form of a dungeon, all for the cheap price of 0 yen!

It isn't luxury, but I lived in a basement before.

Not that much of a difference...

Both dark and cramped. No ventilation and gathering dust.

Oh well, no point dwelling on the past...

It’s not the past if I still live in the same conditions?

I have no idea what you're talking about. Well, the only way to really find out where Yache lives in to either ask the receptionist- Charles - and get flamed for being a creepy stalker, or camp the Adventurer's Guild.

Obviously, the former would be much faster. But choosing the latter will free me from a public shaming.

Hmm... efficiency or pride?

Pride is totally overrated.

I'm not just lazy and not bothered to wait! I-it isn't what it looks like!

And so, I shift back towards the Guild. I feel like I've been doing that a lot lately - walking out of the guild before awkwardly returning within a few moments.

I pass Gyras' smith-shop or whatever you call it, before returning to the Adventurer's Guild.

Charles in in a good mood, right?

Promotion means a pay rise. And he seemed cheery enough.

Alright, hopefully I don't get verbally assaulted to harshly.

Charles sits on his head receptionist exclusive, suuper comfy looking chair.

Looking at it makes me mad!

Where are my squishy, fluffed chairs?

I want one of those!

Alright, first thing after this, I'm going to renovate my dungeon into an actual house!

...Nah, that'll cost too much.

But, I'll certainly renovate!

I slam my hand on the desk , waking him up with a jolt.

Charles stares at me, looking kind of pissed. "What the fuck you want?" he hisses.

Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have woken him from his precious sleep or whatever.

Er... I'm totally going to get flamed, right?

"..."

"...Well?"

Alright, brain, do something!

"..."

"Are you mute?"

"I want to join the dragon hunting mission."

Arrg! It just slipped out of my lips!

Honestly, I wanted to get to some degree of power before facing off against a dragon. If I'm stronger, I'll have a higher chance of making it in, right?

"Sure, you can join. I'll register you in now..."

Uuh.

Yeah, I know I should probably be glad, but... how come I made it in so easily? I can't help but be suspicious!

And so, I say something contradictory.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, why not. You're strong enough anyway."

Oh?

Let’s goo!

Haha, B-rank lizard, here I come!

I bask under the glow of glory for a moment, before heading out.

Alright, first things first, it’s time for a renovation!