Prologue
Prologue
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TL: ALT
Prologue
“There it is.”
I use Simple Appraisal towards the presence I caught at the back of the dungeon.
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Treasure Hobbit Lv 21
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That’s exactly what the wiki said.
I only see the level in the Simple Appraisal, but I’ve got the basic info drilled into my head.
The important thing is that the SP gained from defeating “Treasure Hobbit Lv 21” is 11.
This is head and shoulders above all other monsters in this level range.
Moreover, since there is a 20-level difference between it and me, who is level 1, there is a bonus adjustment to the SP gained.
The ratio of the bonus is… 3 times higher.
Just by killing one monster, I can get 33 SP.
That’s a ‘tasty’ catch for me right now.
But this is a C-rank dungeon.
Things are not always good.
Two huge golems made of rock stood on either side of the hobbit carrying a golden sack.
They are “Rock Golems Lv 23.”
Their rocky bodies are as tough and sturdy as they appear.
Their HP is high, their defense is high, and their attack power is not to be underestimated.
Yet, it only gives 5 SP when it is defeated.
To me, this is a ‘bad’ enemy.
However, the information was correct.
There was no need to change my strategy.
“Now, let’s go!”
I murmured and activated my skill as planned.
Skill──────────────────
Ancient Chanting 1
Casting a special spell doubles the power of magic at the cost of (50-S.Lv x 10)% longer casting time.
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Skill──────────────────
Strong Strike Magic 1
Increases the power of magic by (S.Lv x 15)% and causes knockback at the cost of an increase in MP consumption by (S.Lv x 10)%.
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Skill──────────────────
Preemptive Attack 1
Increases the damage dealt by (S.Lv x 20)% against enemies who are unaware of you.
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Skill──────────────────
First Strike 1
First attack damage is increased by (S.Lv x 20)%.
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Skill──────────────────
Knowledge of First Battle1
Damage dealt is increased by 1.5 times for (S.Lv x 10) seconds after combat begins. After the effect time, the damage is reduced by 2/3 for (S.Lv x 10) seconds.
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The power of the magic that will be activated is,
x2 x 1.15 x 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.5.
The power of the magic is 4.968 times greater than that of the original magic.
“More and more and more and more and more――Flame Lance!”
Kah! A spear of red-hot flame is shot at the Treasure Hobbit.
The spear lands on the Treasure Hobbit’s small torso and explodes.
The small size of the target made me wonder if it would hit, but thanks to my high luck value, it hit the target safely.
Without even time to scream, the Treasure Hobbit was reduced to ashes and vanished into the wind.
“Yes!”
I struck a gut punch, instantly turned around, and started to escape from the enemy.
But I didn’t just escape.
I’m just running as fast as I can with my back to the enemy.
…No, sorry.
That was a joke.
I’m actually ‘escaping’ as fast as I can.
With my back to the enemy, I’m ‘escaping’ with all my might, without a care in the world, with my weapon in my hand and my hands waving in the air.
As their companions are suddenly extinguished, the two remaining Rock Golems start to move toward me, albeit belatedly.
――The next moment, however, the two Rock Golems slip and fall.
The cause was the coating of ice that covered the floor of the dungeon in white.
Between the time I released the Flame Lance and the time it landed, I had used the “Ice Floor” Ninjutsu.
As the name suggests, it is a basic Ninjutsu that simply covers the ground with a thin layer of ice.
The heavy Rock Golem, combined with its low agility, fell down beautifully on the icy floor.
Since its intelligence was also low, it would get up and slip back down again.
In the meantime, I was ‘escaping’ as fast as I could.
With my current agility, ten meters is a fraction of a second.
However, when I ‘escaped’ to 10 meters from the enemy’s initial position, I was blocked by a transparent wall.
No matter how fast I ran, I could not move forward.
It was more like being pushed back by an invisible barrier than a wall.
At the same time, a translucent analog clock appears in the middle of my field of vision.
I call it the ‘escape timer,’ and it slowly but steadily advances its hands as if it is trying to hurry me up.
“Uo-ooohhh…!”
I continue to ‘escape’ as fast as I can.
I see the Rock Golem rise up behind me, but while I’m ‘escaping,’ I can’t take any other action.
The Rock Golem was coming at me, crashing through the icy floor with its weight.
I’ve got the minimum HP, but I don’t want to take a blow from such a big one on my unprotected back.
Time passed for what felt like an eternity.
I know I said “like an eternity,” but I know it was exactly 25 seconds.
The Ice Floor and the Rock Golem’s bluntness.
Either of them would have dealt me a painful blow.
But I ‘escaped.’
The moment the needle on the escape timer pointed to zero, the invisible wall disappeared.
After running a few steps with too much momentum, I looked back and saw that I was about 20 meters away from the Rock Golem.
The Rock Golem had returned to its original position as if nothing had happened.
Not only that, even the Treasure Hobbit, which I had supposedly defeated, had ‘resurrected’ to its original position.
‘You have successfully “escaped.”‘
‘No experience gained.’
‘You have gained 33 SP.’
‘Earned 6930 yen.’
‘Lost 3326 yen!’
“…Whew. That went well.”
Defeat only the tasty enemies and leave the bad ones behind and ‘escape.’
This is the most efficient way to earn SP that I have devised.
I cursed the Gods when I was given the ‘escape’ skill, but now I am very thankful for it.
I may be the only person in the world who can use this skill.
“Now, I have a long way to go.”
But all I have to do now is repeat my current pattern.
Trehobi is a one-hit wonder, and I’ve succeeded in stopping the Rock Golem in its tracks.
If these conditions can be met, there is little danger.
All that remained was a matter of perseverance.
I continue to ‘escape’ even more.
I kept ‘escaping’ to the point that I was sick and tired of it.
‘The remaining SP has exceeded 10000. New skills can be acquired.’
“Yeesssss!”
I immediately opened my status,
Status──────────────────
Yuto Kurashiki
Level 1
HP 743/743
MP 574/574
Attack Power 264
Defense 159
Magic Power 1715
Mental Strength 1144
Agility 2679
Luck 5865
・Unique Skill
Escape S.Lv1
・Acquired Skills
Fire Magic 2, Magic Enhancement 1, HP Enhancement 1, MP Recovery Speed Increase 1, MP Enhancement 1, Simple Appraisal, Defense Enhancement 1, Physical Strength Enhancement 1, Mental Strength Enhancement 1, Luck Enhancement 1, Evasion Enhancement 1, Agility Enhancement 1, Paralysis Resistance 1, Petrification Resistance 1, Instant Death Resistance 1, Sleep Resistance 1, Preemptive Strike 1, First Strike 1, Lightning Magic 1, Wind Magic 1, Water Magic 1, Ice Magic 1, Strong Strike Magic 1, Ancient Chanting 1, Magic Critical 1, Search 1, Stealth 1, Ninjutsu 1, Knockout, Survive, Drive Away, Self Regeneration 1, Poison Spray 1, Split 1
・Equipment
Anti-Poison Earrings
Traveler’s Cloak
SP 10011
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“All right!”
The long-awaited 10000 SP.
It’s precious points that I saved up by putting off acquiring and strengthening various skills.
Naturally, I’ve decided what I’m going to use these points for.
I open the app on my phone and select the skill I want from the list of available skills.
‘You have acquired the skill Appraisal.’
“Yes!”
As expected, 10000 was a long time.
If I hadn’t trained to empty my mind and level in an online game, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
I did ‘escape’ from the enemy.
Yes, I ‘escaped.’
I ‘escaped’ a lot.
But I didn’t escape from this painful earning.
Congratulations, me!
You did your best, me!
I think I’ll go to the local supermarket today and buy some top-quality meat.
…..Eh? You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?
That’s right.
Even in this crazy modern age where dungeons have become the norm, my current status is out of the norm.
Normally, by the time I accumulate the 10000 SP required to acquire Appraisal, my level would have risen considerably.
To fight in the upper-level range, I need other skills, so it is difficult to save SP just for Appraisal.
Only high-level explorers who can afford SP or those who specialize in Appraisal and depend on other members of the party for their fighting ability can acquire Appraisal.
Earn 10000 SP in half a day at level 1.
It is a great discovery that turns the common sense of dungeon exploration upside down.
But this earning is probably only available to me at the moment.
Now, let’s put aside the pretentiousness and let me tell you the story of how I found this earning――