Chapter 10

Chapter 10 : Monster Battle

The relaxed atmosphere changed abruptly.

“Prepare for battle!! Merchants, get inside the wagon and do not come out!!”

“Front line, step forward and protect them!! Archers, handle support from the rear!”

The mercenaries raised their weapons in perfect order and prepared for battle.

Even if they were novice mercenaries, they lived by the blade, so perhaps that was why they assessed the situation quickly.

I also drew my cutlass and observed the swarm of monsters rushing down from the hill with cold eyes.

DING―!

｢A swarm of monsters appearing without warning is always a threat!｣

｢The merchants are frightened! Due to the [Chaos] skill, Agility temporarily increases by 1!｣

‘There seem to be quite a few of them....’

A mixed swarm of monsters composed of Kobolds and Lesser Rats.

There were roughly forty of them. I did not see any other monsters.

Their numbers were a little high, but their level was not great, so we should be able to repel them without taking much damage.

Perhaps because I had already seen a Death Knight and house-sized sea giants, I did not feel any particular pressure from them.

And if they were monsters of this level....

“...Lord Malton, could I fight with you?”

“You as well?”

Malton looked at me with a thoughtful gaze.

He was nominally my escort, and I was in the position of a client.

If I were to be injured, not only would his reputation be damaged, but he might also receive a penalty from the Adventurer Guild under the pretext of failing the request.

Under normal circumstances, this was a proposal he could refuse, but....

“...Kobolds are small in build. Do not force yourself to cut them down. It would be better to use the reach of your cutlass and subdue them step by step. Lesser Rats are nothing special as long as you watch out for their sharp claws and teeth. Even so, they are nimble, so be careful.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled and drew my sword.

Another reason I liked Malton.

Unlike other inflexible elves, he was accommodating.

I thanked him for his consideration and watched the approaching monsters.

After escaping the Ghost Ship fleet, my current level was 7.

A Kobold was around level 6 as an adult, and a Lesser Rat was lower than that, so even as a beginner, I could catch them easily enough as long as I was careful.

‘I cannot miss such a good chance to level up.’

Once I finished making my estimate and walked forward, flustered voices burst out from the mercenaries around me.

“W-Wait! What is that person doing? Did he not take shelter in the wagon?!”

“Surely he is not trying to fight?”

I ignored the mercenaries’ shouts and raised the corners of my mouth.

I could simply stand still and take the monsters that came toward me, but then I would be wasting this rare opportunity.

In Velheim, where the required experience increased exponentially as one’s level rose, this situation was a golden opportunity to reach level 30 within the deadline.

And in order to take down as many monsters as possible, I needed to catch the mercenaries off guard and activate the [Chaos] skill.

For example......

“Follow me!!!”

｢The mercenaries are horrified!｣

｢If the client dies during the mission, severe disadvantages from the guild will follow!｣

｢Due to the effect of [Chaos], Agility increases!｣

““Catch that bastard!!””

“Hahahahaha!!”

As I laughed and charged toward the monsters, I felt the startled mercenaries hurriedly chasing after me from behind.

The mercenaries shouted something behind me, but the more they did, the faster I accelerated.

And at last, the moment I charged down the hill and collided with a Kobold―.

A single flash.

I swung the sword I had raised in a middle stance and cut through Kobold's head.

Crimson blood scattered along the blade and drew a red arc through the sky, and the lump that fell a beat late rolled over the grass.

A clean preemptive strike without a single wasted movement.

At the same time the fishy scent of blood tickled my nose, the notification updated.

｢You took the Kobold’s life with a single stroke!｣

｢The mercenaries are shocked! Your movements, strengthened by the [Chaos] skill, are so agile that they cannot believe you are a beginner!｣

｢Strength temporarily increases by 2.｣

When I immediately restored my stance and prepared a follow-up strike, I saw a Lesser Rat crouching low and readying an attack.

Lesser Rats had weak bite force and unimpressive strength.

As creatures without the intelligence to use magic, their teeth and claws were their only means of attack.

In that case, the action it would take now was―.

‘It will leap up and attack.’

For an instant, the Lesser Rat kicked off the ground and jumped, pouncing at me.

It was the Lesser Rat’s distinctive attack motion, which I had seen hundreds, no, thousands of times while playing the game.

By the time I realized it, I was already moving.

―KIEEEEEEEEK!!!

The severed right arm of the Lesser Rat rose into the air.

A clean upward slash that surged from low to high.

Without stopping, I twisted my wrist and cut off the Lesser Rat’s breath.

As the sharp tip of the curved sword tore through the skin of its throat, a piercing sensation traveled into the hilt.

｢You have defeated a Kobold!｣

｢You have defeated a Lesser Rat!｣

｢The adventurers who witnessed your counterattack are surprised, and Luck increases by 1!｣

‘Good...! It works!’

I quickly shook off the corpse and raised my head.

It was good news that the swordsmanship I had learned with fights against people in mind worked on monsters as well.

As I suppressed my pounding heart and watched the front, I saw two Kobolds rushing toward me.

This time, too, I was already moving.

‘I must not hesitate.’

The basics of fighting one against many were to keep moving without pause and never expose one’s back.

One of the things to be most careful of when fighting in Velheim was being surrounded by enemies.

Even a skilled swordsman could lose his life in an instant if attacked from behind.

Before I knew it, I was projecting the warrior character I had played in Velheim onto myself and acting accordingly.

How would I have acted if I were the one inside the game?

“Haaaaaap―!!”

Before the monsters could form an encirclement, I instantly rushed the one on the right and swung my sword.

When I carved through it with force, the Kobold’s thigh was cut away.

As it screamed horribly and rolled across the ground, I drove my blade into the nape of its neck and silenced it, then charged toward the remaining Kobold.

The Kobold swiftly swung its claws, but that was within my expectations―.

I nimbly deflected its attack, then used the long reach of the cutlass to pierce its chest.

When I put strength into the hilt and shattered its ribs, lukewarm blood sprayed up and wet my cheek.

As if it had been waiting for that moment, a Lesser Rat leaped in from the side, but―.

―CRUNCH...!!

In that instant, I stepped away at the same time I pulled out my sword, opening the distance in a flash.

It was a footwork technique my character had often used, combining a jump with a step.

After retreating outside the line of attack in an instant, I charged back in and seized the Lesser Rat by the neck. It looked up at me with terror-filled eyes.

I slammed it to the ground and drove my blade down.

Ignoring the level-up notification that rose before me and continuing to massacre the monsters, I saw a one-sided battlefield come into view.

Kobolds and Lesser Rats were kicked down by mercenaries and had their lives ended.

The monsters that had charged out so boldly were cleared away in no time, their earlier momentum rendered meaningless.

After all, these were mercenaries hired with money. They were not the sort of people who would struggle against lowest-grade monsters like Kobolds or Lesser Rats.

But the one who stood out most among them was, as expected, Malton. He was crushing Kobolds’ heads with his heavy mace.

As I quietly watched him, Malton, who had taken down nearly half of the Kobolds by himself, wiped the blood from his blond hair and spoke.

“Whew... I have seen an unpleasant sight. Blood is always troublesome when it gets on me.”

“You worked hard. Thank you for allowing me to join the battle.”

“It was nothing. To be honest, I was a little worried, but you fought far better than I expected. I would believe it if someone told me you were already a seasoned swordsman. If it is not rude, may I ask your level?”

“My level?”

“You do not have to answer if you do not want to. Asking someone’s level upon first meeting is rude, is it not? I am merely a little curious, since you said you were an aspiring adventurer, yet there was experience in your swordsmanship.”

Looking at Malton as he smiled gently while speaking, I laughed inwardly.

What kind of reaction would he show if he knew that I was someone who had fought alongside him to crush cults of Evil Gods?

‘By the way, is it all right to tell him my level honestly...?’

The concept of levels was widely known among the residents of Velheim as well.

It seemed they recognized it as something like a blessing of the gods bestowed upon warriors who defeated many monsters.

Unlike players, who could intuitively check their levels through the status window, the residents of Velheim could only confirm it by using special tools in temples.

“...It is 7. I was on the verge of the next level, so perhaps I may have risen to 8 through this battle.”

“Oh...! Yet you are that agile...?! Truly impressive! You may have the talent of a warrior!”

“.......”

That was because I had hunted Kobolds and Lesser Rats in the game until I was sick of them.

And if I added the bonus stats from the Rune and the abilities increased through [Chaos], I had been certain I could overwhelm them.

I was still nervous about risking my life in a bloody battle against monsters, but if I actively used the knowledge I had accumulated while playing Velheim for ten years, I should be able to survive in this world.

I quietly bowed my head to Malton, thanking him for allowing me to take part in this battle.

I had acted a little impulsively, but seeing him laugh it off as nothing, it was clear that this skirmish had left him with a good impression of me.

Once the situation was roughly settled, the merchants who had taken shelter inside the wagon also began to creep out.

“I-Is it over?”

“Whew... That startled me. Who would have thought a monster swarm would suddenly attack us in the middle of the day....”

“Ahem, everyone, thank you! On behalf of the trading company, I, Amur, will express my gratitude for your brave response! Bring me the materials from the monsters each of you defeated, and I will purchase them at the standard price!”

It was customary for the trading company that had received help to buy the materials from monsters killed during an escort mission whenever possible.

‘Let us see... The parts from Kobolds and Lesser Rats that fetched at least some price were the fangs and pelts, right...?’

I headed toward the monsters I had defeated.

Velheim was an extremely realistic game.

Just because I hunted a monster, its corpse did not disappear while leaving behind only items, nor did it suddenly drop a crystal mana stone out of nowhere.

Therefore, if one wanted to earn money through monster hunting, one had to process each corpse, tear off materials that seemed valuable, and sell them in the right place.

Because of that, there were often times when one defeated a strong monster, only to spend a fortune on herbs and potions and end up broke.

The reason Velheim was a garbage game!

‘Ugh... This is a little nauseating.’

I crouched in the field and began dismantling the Kobold and Lesser Rat I had killed.

As I rummaged through monster corpses to earn money, it truly sank in that I had come to another world.

I also understood why low-level characters in Velheim sometimes vomited at a low probability while dismantling monsters.

The deeper I pushed in the blade, the stronger the fishy stench of the entrails rose.

The foul odor secreted from the blood-soaked scent gland, the lukewarm body heat, and the gamy smell unique to beasts.

As I struggled to strip off the pelt with a cutlass unsuited for dismantling monsters, sweat trickled down my body even though the weather was not hot.

‘When I reach the city, I should buy a multi-purpose dagger first....’

So this was why large parties hired professional dismantlers.

However, when I stood up while holding the ragged pelt and Kobold's fang, a sudden sense of incongruity came over me.

‘But... Why are the Lesser Rats and Kobolds together?’

“What is the matter? You do not look well.”

“Hmm... The thing is.”

I spoke in a low voice.

“In truth, it is very rare for Kobolds and Lesser Rats to form a group. Usually, Kobolds prey on Lesser Rats. Besides, both are timid monsters, yet they still thought to attack after seeing this many people....”

“So I was not the only one who thought it was strange.”

Since Kobolds and Lesser Rats were at the bottom of the monster ecosystem, their defining traits were caution and cowardice.

The moment they sensed human presence, they should have fled in a hurry, not charged in like this.

And to say that they had no choice but to attack because their territory was invaded....

‘Kobolds and Lesser Rats were monsters that mainly lived in dark, damp caves or forests, right?’

At the very least, they were not the sort of monsters one should encounter in large numbers in an open field like this.

Or was there some reason?

A reason those creatures would gather here....

As I was thinking about the cause behind the monsters’ abnormal behavior, I felt someone striding toward us from the front.

‘That person must be the captain leading the mercenaries.’

What business does he have with me?