On the day after deciding to create a harem, I left the city.
I bid farewell to Eric and the others at the tavern. Well, the destination is just a day's distance away by carriage. We could easily meet again if we wanted to, so I didn't feel too lonely.
My destination is one of the country's—Rostakia's eastern frontier cities called Gardia.
The eastern and southern parts of Rostakia face a region inhabited by monsters known as the "Fields," and villages near the border are threatened by monster attacks. [T/N: In case you found this confusing, lemme clarify. No, the monsters are not called fields, the region inhabited by the monsters are.]
Gardia is an important outpost for protecting people from monsters and for capturing the fields.
There's no shortage of jobs related to monsters, making it an ideal place to climb the ranks.
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Instead of heading straight to Gardia, I decided to make a detour.
About 20 kilometers east of Gardia lies the Bigina Forest. This is one of the capture points designated by the adventurers' guilds and is considered as the field with the lowest danger level.
While the Tabal Forest was a dense jungle-like forest, the Bigina Forest has lower tree density and relatively clear visibility. The terrain is not bad, and if there were no monsters, it might even be suitable for hiking.
Since this would likely be the first place adventurers go, I wanted to explore it a little to get a feel for it.
Upon stepping into the forest, I felt a slight drop in temperature, not just due to the shadows of the trees. This is due to the influence of miasma in the air. Miasma is a form of magic, and except for a few exceptions, monsters cannot survive without it.
Because of this, monsters don't generally leave the Fields. Weaker monsters tend to inhabit the outskirts of the Fields where the miasma is thinner. Stronger monsters take up the more comfortable spots.
Being aware of my proximity to the forest's edge where I can escape at any time, I began to explore. I sensed a faint animal scent. Slowly approaching the source of the smell, I found a monster about the size of an elementary school lower-grade student.
It's a monster called a Goblin, quite low in the hierarchy of monsters in this world. Even so, Goblins have greater strength and agility than regular humans, and possess combat abilities similar to well-armed adult males.
However, considering my current abilities, I should easily be able to defeat a Goblin. I checked my status.
Status
Name: Tachibana Haruki
Job: Traveler
Level: 25
Skill Points: 10
Acquired Skills:
- Body Strengthening Lvl. 15
Skills that Can Be Acquired:
- Swordsmanship
- Spear Mastery
- Shield Mastery
- Archery
- Body Strengthening
- Black Magic
- Holy Magic
- Summoning Magic
- Alchemy
- Blacksmith
etc...
I had gained 10 levels by defeating Gwen. With my current physical abilities, I could barely fight a Goblin, let alone a Black Tiger. I don't want to fight, but just in case.
I haven't allocated my skill points yet. I intend to use today's battle as a gauge. Swordsmanship is my first choice; my swordsmanship during the fight against Gwen wasn't too bad.
I remained vigilant of my surroundings, but apart from the Goblin in front of me, I sensed no other monster presence. I approached the Goblin until I'm 10 meters away and slowly drew my sword, trying not to alert it.
It's a short sword with a blade length of 60 centimeters that I bought before leaving the city. It's not as impressive as Gwen's sword, but it's well-made. I tested it by cutting firewood, and it cut through easily. It was a strike clearly of an amateur relying purely on physical ability, but it still had quite an impact.
While I could ambush it, I decide to deliberately show myself to the Goblin to see how well I can fight. The Goblin noticed me and let out a high-pitched cry as it lunged towards me.
"Slow-!?"
Having the swiftness of the Black Tiger etched into my memory, I'm surprised by the Goblin's slowness. I easily dodged its attack, and then swiftly cut off its exposed neck.
Only 10 seconds have passed since the battle started; victory came easily. Unlike the life-or-death battles against Gwen and the Black Tiger, this feels different. I'm confident I can win no matter how many times I fight.
Defeating a weak monster like this makes me feel the accomplishment of being an adventurer.
Continuing to explore, I encountered not only Goblins but also monsters the size of medium-sized dogs resembling rats, and a rabbit-like creature with horns. If encountered in groups, I can escape before they notice, and if it's a single creature, I can defeat it easily.
I haven't sustained a scratch, but my mental energy is rapidly depleting. It hasn't been an hour since I entered the forest, but keeping a constant watch on my surroundings is more tiring than I anticipated. Although it was earlier than planned, I started to withdraw.
Just as I'm about to leave the forest, I spot two Goblins. I hesitated for a moment, but this time I decided to fight.
Since miasma dissipates rapidly when it falls below a certain concentration, the border between the Fields is quite distinct. If I make it to the forest's edge, the Goblins won't follow me.
And, since I also had the advantage of being able to escape easily, it was a perfect situation to do a multiple vs one battle.
I deliberately approached the Goblins, using the cover of the underbrush. This time, I'm launching a surprise attack. One of the Goblins seems to be scavenging the remains of the rabbit, so I easily approach from behind.
"Gwi?! "
Before the Goblins noticed me, I decapitated one and sliced off the arm of the other. They were at a distance from each other, so I couldn't deal lethal blows to both, but I managed to take them down before they noticed.
One Goblin remains, the one with a missing arm. Given that I've won multiple times in one-on-one battles, I'm confident I can beat it easily.
Perhaps due to seeing the corpse of the other Goblin, the remaining one jumps at me while keeping its neck guarded.
I nimbly dodge and attempt to slash its abdomen, but the sword stops halfway due to flesh and bone. It's a fatal wound, but not an instant kill. The Goblin raises its claw and swings its arm.
"Ugh!"
Letting out a slight scream, I jump back. The twisted claws pass by where my arm used to be, almost like a witch's claw.
Once I regained my stance after jumping back, I prepared my sword. It didn't follow up. It seemed that the Goblin's last attack was its limit, and it collapsed. I confirmed that the Goblin is completely silent before quickly leaving the forest.
