Good morning.
In real-life, it is evening though. In FWO, it is noon-time in all it's glory
5 days until the Martial Arts Tournament. During class, I came to notice a considerably irritable group and a sleep-deprived group here and there. Those guys probably were too into the game. With things such as a tournament, since the championship was fundamentally difficult, it was good to do one's best moderately.
With that in mind, do I go to the forest?
The goal is sealing the monsters that come out during the day and my class-change. Additionally, while I'm there, I'll harvest treant wood.
Then, let's depart～.
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《Skill: Dash has leveled up.》
《Summoned Monster: Aegis has leveled up. Please choose status increase.》
《Player has leveled up. Please choose status increase.》
Aegis Hardened Goat
Lv11 → 12
Stamina 21
Strength 11 → 12
Agility 11 → 12
Dexterity 13
Magic 4
Spirit 10
Skills
Danger sense, Rough road traversal, Rage, Dash, Hardening
Yuu Summoner
Lv14 → 15
Stamina 13
Strength 13
Agility 13 → 15
Dexterity 13
Magic 20
Spirit 20
Skills
Cane Lv6, Kick Lv16, Summoning Magic Lv13, Fire Magic Lv11, Water Magic Lv12, Appraisal Lv10, Dash Lv9→10, Evasion Lv5, Defense Lv5, Cold Resistance Lv7, Heat Resistance Lv1
《2 Skill Points have been gained. SP 10→12》
《Player has met the conditions for class-change. Please select the new class.》
《Class-change candidate: High Summoner, Attack Wizard》
《High Summoner
A summoner with the power of the accompanying summoned monsters increased.
Receives an adjustment to Status from the bond with the summoned monsters.
Also, the Skill 《Class Down》 will become acquirable.
The primary means of attack is Summoning Magic, etc.》
《Attack Wizard
A magic user specialized to use magic for close combat.
A small increase to basic attack power and magic chanting speed, as well as a small decrease to chant interruption chance and magic power.
Also, the Skill 《Magic to Force》 will become acquirable.
The primary means of attack is Elemental Magic, Wand, etc.
※Attention※
If this job is chosen, the job tree will be changed.
Because the original job tree's exclusive use skills will become unusable, please be careful.》
「Oh, it came! It came!」
「MEEEEEEH!」
While quickly taking care of packs of wild dogs that came and began recklessly challenging us on the way to the forest depths, I had leveled up easily. I wonder how many experience points were remaining from a half day of fighting ants. Even though Boparu and Mizuki didn't level-up, it wasn't as if they didn't have an advantage of 2 whole levels worth of experience points. The benefits from the half day of continuous fighting seem questionable, don't they? Well, whatever. Rather than that, the problem was my class-change!
「Alright, since I've unlocked my class-change, let's have a short break..」
「Kyui!」
「Hoh-!」
「Meeh」
Hearing 'rest,' Mizuki flew off to verify the area's safety, and Boparu moved her ears about restlessly.
Aegis flopped over slovenly.
un. Well, it's fine, isn't it? It wasn't Aegis's role to do things like searching for enemies, and taking a break to rest on occasion was also necessary, wasn't it?
My class-change candidates... there really was only one choice, wasn't there? Wouldn't becoming an Attack Wizard, mean that I would be unable to use Summoning Magic? Is there any sense in laying out alternatives?
For that reason, class-change to High Summoner!
Yuu Summoner → High Summoner
Lv15
Stamina 13
Strength 13
Agility 15
Dexterity 13 → 14
Magic 20 → 22
Spirit 20 → 22
Skills
Cane Lv6, Kicking Lv16, Summoning Magic Lv13, Fire Magic Lv11, Water Magic Lv12, Appraisal Lv10, Dash Lv10, Evasion Lv5, Defense Lv5, Cold Resistance Lv7, Heat Resistance Lv1
《Player has class-changed to High Summoner.》
Class-change complete!
...un. It was different from Boparu and crew, and with just a job change, since my appearance didn't change at all, I didn't really feel like anything had changed.
Anyhow, at this point, I want to check out the Class Down skill, that seems newly available for acquisition.
Guu～
「I'm... hungry.」
「Kyui?」
「Meh?」
As soon as I sat cross-legged against a tree, Boparu had snuggled into the gap between my legs, and Aegis had scooted over while still flopped over on the ground and went about sleeping with his head in my lap just as he pleased. In response to their questioning voices, I waved my hand and replied that it was nothing, I closed my eyes and returned to quietly resting again with the two of them.
Time-wise, there was at least an hour until dinner, but whether due to having physical education today, I was quite hungry. Having run home might also be a reason, though.
Surely I had something in storage? Didn't I buy apples or something? Ah-,
「Speaking of that, I had received such a thing, hadn't I? While doing various things, it was completely forgotten.」
What I took out from storage was rabbit stew. This was something that Risan made for me a while ago. I totally forgot about it.
Although it had been left in storage for several days, it was still hot enough that steam was rising up from the wooden bowl and an appetizing smell was spreading into the air.
「Un. It looks delicious. Well then, here I go. Thanks for the food.」
I scooped the stew using the wooden spoon that came as a set with the bowl. Under the milky-white soup there was a good deal more meat than things like large blocky-cut carrots and potatoes.
As my stomach rumbled, I scooped up and tried eating a piece of meat that was in the stew. ...un.
Though I was wondering what kind of taste 'rabbit meat' would have, the texture felt like chicken.
Well, it is a game, and didn't it feel that something like chicken meat was used because they were probably unable to procure rabbit meat for sampling? Or whether rabbit meat actually tasted similar to chicken meat... I didn't know since I had never eaten it in real life...
But, there was at least one thing that I did understand. It's that this stew was really delicious!
This rabbit stew which was fully recommended by Risan was excellent. So, something like this can be made if you have the skill... Even if it wasn't useful to others, maybe I should try to pick up the cooking skill.
-- Ads -- (Chapter continues below)
「「「...」」」
「Nn? Everyone also wants to try some? But, can you all eat stew?」
Noticing the 3 pairs of eyes staring at me who was conveying the stew to my mouth with a puff, puff, yum, yum, chew, chew, I took out another helping of stew and set it on the ground in front of them.
「Here, you should eat up～. But if it seems it like you can't eat it, don't try to do the impossible, okay?」
「Kyui～?」
「Hooh」
「Meeh」
Surrounding the piping-hot stew that had steam rising from it, Boparu secured a carrot and started munching away, Mizuki dug out rabbit meat with her beak and swallowed it whole, and Aegis shoved his face in the bowl and lapped it up like he was drinking water.
un. Aegis is amazing to eat like that. And, your face is getting dirty. And, splatter is flying too... The other two were taken aback by the dicey situation.
I wondered if I should divide up the bowl, but they seemed to be having fun, so it was fine, wasn't it? As expected, if you see something eaten in front of you, it becomes something you also want yourself, doesn't it?
It's like dogs or something, isn't it? While eating a thing such as vegetable sticks that look like a dog can also eat, if you give the dog one because he was watching longingly, that guy will spit it out with a, 'Peh, that's not it,' and come to you saying, 'Give me the one you are currently eating!'
Since the contents are the same! As expected, it's a thing where even animals can see things being eaten by people as delicious-looking, isn't it?
While watching the heart-warming scene of Boparu and crew's meal as I was looking through the skill list, I found it. At the bottom of the list,《Class Down》skill. Needed SP... 15 points? Since I had 12 points now, it would take 2 level ups. Whether it was expensive or cheap, I didn't know, but... if I think about it, was the 10 points taken by the《Kicking》skill cheap? They are not even skills that others want to take.
Hmm, but going by the skill name, that skill might not be needed now. Perhaps it's a skill that undoes the class-change? Feels like a regression.
Hmm, but it's the hard-won job-exclusive skill... hmm, but, maybe there will come an unexpected want like《Cold Resistance》... hmm, but..., hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.
「? ...Kyui?」
「Hmm, chew, chew. Hmm, munch, munch. Un? Boparu? What's up... enemy?」
I was contemplating while muttering and counting my tanuki's before they were caught, and seeing Boparu suddenly stand up (cute!) and stare out at a spot in the forest, I set down the half-eaten stew and stood up. (TN: I hybridized the Japanese saying in the text with "counting your chickens before they hatch" to maintain the flavor of the original, but give it an easily understood meaning.)
Though I didn't sense any enemy presences at all, because Boparu is saying there is something, there is.
「Kyu...ii? Kyui? Kyui!」
「Yup. I don't get it.」
I didn't get what she was trying to convey by gesturing toward something in this direction, but only adorableness was coming through. Soooo cuuute～ I am healed～.
「Kyui～, kyui! Kyui!」
When I unconsciously petted her head, after a moment were I contentedly fluffed,
I came back to myself with a "Hah-!" and she sharply pointed out a nook of the forest that she had been staring at until just now. Cute.
「Hoh～?」
「Meeeh?」
Mizuki and Aegis tilted their heads, also seeming to not really getting what Boparu wanted to convey. Cute.
When animals gathered together and made the same movements, it's cute, you know. Something like videos of kittens sitting side-by-side and following a cat-teaser with their eyes.
*Glance*
「Nn?」
I thought I saw something just now. Somehow or other, if I looked in the direction Boparu was pointing at (directing an arm at?), it was like something moved to hide at the trunk of the tree...
*Glance*
「Nnn!?」
Our eyes just totally met. Small eyes were inquiring this way with a gleam from the shadow of the tree.
Though the other party also met my eyes, it seemed to notice and ducked back into the shadow of the tree with a 'Kya～!' impression.
「Um...? A small... girl?」
Whether because her hiding from me had been exposed, the girl stopped hiding and floated over this way.
This girl was a little girl. More than that. She was physically a 15 centimeter or so tall little girl.