Upon arriving at the forest, I drew my sword from its scabbard.
Until yesterday, I had always moved around without drawing my blade until I actually spotted a monster.
When I mentioned that to Ryan-san, he was utterly astonished.
"I knew the forest was dangerous, but if I'd run into something with a sharp nose like a wolf, there's a very good chance I would've died."
Ryan-san had explained that while there are times to scout on high alert without a weapon drawn, doing so in a forest with poor visibility was simply reckless.
Under normal circumstances, only low-tier monsters inhabited this forest.
Even so, other threats could appear on rare occasions.
Walking around a place like that without a weapon in hand was nothing short of suicidal, he had told me.
"That makes the first one right away. All right, I'll do this just like I was taught."
After walking through the woods for about five minutes, I spotted a single slime ahead.
Catching it in my sight, I moved my body exactly as instructed.
Taking up a stance with my sword, I drew a deep breath and channeled power into my legs.
Step.
The sound of my foot kicking off the ground rang out, and the slime shifted for an instant.
However, my blade was already bearing down right above its head.
Without tensing my arms too much, I turned my hips properly to drive my full weight into the blow.
Thud.
The sword slammed into the ground with considerable force.
"Oops, the slime was so soft that I misjudged my strength. Is the blade all right?"
Worrying first about the borrowed sword, I inspected the edge.
Seeing that it wasn't chipped, I let out a sigh of relief.
◇
Monster defeated.
Acquired 1 EXP.
96/100 until next level.
◇
◇
Trained in [Swordsmanship].
Acquired 1 EXP.
56/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
Looking at the floating screen that resembled a status display, I saw that experience points had been added to both my level and my skill.
I could feel for myself that my sword swing just now had been executed cleanly.
"Maybe skill EXP prioritizes proper form over time spent."
Pondering that, I harvested the materials from the slime.
Four more until the next level.
Deciding that would be my goal for today, I walked deeper into the forest.
◇
Monster defeated.
Acquired 1 EXP.
99/100 until next level.
◇
◇
Trained in [Swordsmanship].
Acquired 1 EXP.
57/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
About an hour had passed since then as I explored the forest and defeated three more slimes.
While I had properly gained 3 EXP toward my level, my skill had only increased by 1.
Even so, I had a vague understanding of why that happened.
"That first strike was the only one where I handled the sword properly... As I thought, precision must be crucial for skills. Along with proper knowledge, too."
Reflecting on every moment I had gained EXP so far, I arrived at that conclusion.
With that, I decided to set the matter of skills aside for the time being.
Just then, another slime entered my field of vision ahead.
If I defeat this one, I'll reach 100.
I cautiously closed the distance, keeping a vigilant eye on my surroundings.
Sensing no presence of other monsters, my grip on the hilt tightened just a fraction.
"Ngh!"
I put slightly too much power into my step, and the sword swung down with excessive force.
At this rate, I won't get any EXP for [Swordsmanship].
Thinking that to myself, I checked the floating screen.
◇
Monster defeated.
Acquired 1 EXP.
100/100 until next level.
◇
◇
Level has increased.
0/100 until next level.
◇
Seeing those words written on the screen, I opened my status display.
✤
Name: Erik
Age: 10
Level: 2
Strength: 11
Magic: 11
Endurance: 11
Agility: 11
Dexterity: 11
Skills
——
Special Skill
[Fixed EXP]
Divine Protection
——
✤
It went up.
My level number increased, and every single one of my stats rose by 1.
"Haha..."
Looking at the status display, a natural smile escaped my lips.
Not only was the progress toward the next level shown, but the required EXP itself remained fixed.
"What this means is that growing stronger will be far easier for me than for anyone else."
When one's level is low, defeating a handful or a few dozen monsters makes leveling up simple.
That's why someone who had defeated a hundred monsters like I had would normally be at a much higher level by now.
However, that's only true early on; as a person's level rises, gaining the next one becomes increasingly difficult.
Eventually, a point comes when no matter how many monsters you defeat, your level refuses to budge.
How to push past that plateau is a struggle almost everyone faces.
Occasionally, some manage to break through by taking down an exceptionally powerful monster.
Yet formidable beasts don't simply appear whenever you want them to, making stagnation inevitable.
"And yet, I'll never have to deal with that... Being able to see the numbers was already a blessing, but to think the required EXP is fixed as well is beyond anything I could have imagined."
Of course, I still don't know whether my skill is truly all-powerful.
As my level climbs, a time might come when I can crush a slime with my pinky finger.
Even then, I don't know for sure whether I'll still earn EXP.
"If I still get EXP even from that, it means I can keep growing stronger forever. Besides, I'm just as thrilled that every single stat increased by 1."
The way stat values increase varies from person to person.
Vanguard fighters tend to see faster gains in Strength, Endurance, and Agility.
Rearguard fighters tend to see faster gains in Magic and Dexterity.
Yet in my case, every single attribute goes up by 1 across the board.
"Even if other people gain 3 or 4 points at once, my EXP is fixed, so my level will just keep climbing."
After that, in order to test out my leveled-up body, I continued hunting monsters until the evening bell tolled.
There was no dramatic change in how I felt.
Even so, I knew without a doubt that I was steadily, surely growing stronger.