Chapter 13: To the East Forest

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Translator: Soafp

　After practicing with Asuka in the morning together as teacher and disciple, we logged in for the second time in the afternoon.

　What I saw in my open field of vision was the same scene as yesterday, a plaza in the center of the city.

　Apparently, when I log in, I always appear at this location.

“What do you do when you log out outside, and ……hmm?”

　And there, at the edge of my vision, I see an unfamiliar icon flashing.

　I gazed at the icon, which seemed to resemble a human torso of some kind, and saw the words “Hungry” displayed.

　Come to think of it, I feel a little hungry, even though I just had lunch a few minutes ago.

　No way, I didn’t even know there was such a state.

“It’s a hassle, but …… well, thank goodness I can eat whatever I want, disconnected from reality, right?”

　I can’t afford to be too picky in real life for the sake of bodybuilding.

　But here, there are no such restrictions. I think it’s fine to eat as much or as little as I like.

　There were several street vendors in the plaza, so I headed toward the east gate, eating sandwiches and grilled skewers as we went.

　Some people were staring at me, but I were used to it.

　I arrived at the gate on the east side of the city, trying to kill any signs of my presence and blend in with the hustle and bustle of the city.

“Well, that little girl–she won’t be hard to find.”

　With her blonde hair and kimono, she was very noticeable, so it was not difficult to find her.

　As expected, I easily found Iori, the girl who was standing by the gate looking for something to do.

　She is a good-looking girl, but her appearance makes her stand out from the crowd.

　Thanks to this, she doesn’t seem to be accosted by anyone, which is probably a blessing.

　Anyway, today’s objective is to meet her. Let’s contact her for now.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“Aah, Quon-san. No, you are not late. Now, let’s get going.”

　With those words, the same party application window appears in front of my eyes as it did for Hisana.

　I cowered my shoulders lightly in approval, and Iori’s name as a party member appeared at the edge of my field of vision.

“Then let’s get going, is there anything you want to bring?”

“No, not particularly. I know the way.”

　Well, it’s simply a matter of defeating the enemy and returning home.

　If the destination is the forest at night or the sea of trees, it would not be that dangerous if it is a daytime forest.

　Iori led the way and I followed her as she began to walk, and we set off for the eastern forest.

　Once out of the city gate, the forest was already close enough to be visible.

　It appears to be a forest used for collecting timber. The sparseness of the trees is probably due to the fact that they are simultaneously logging and planting trees.

　If human hands have been involved, it is not surprising that the forest is well maintained and easy to walk through.

“……..I guess it’s more like going for a walk in the thicket than going into the woods.”

“There’s no denying it. Well, it was one of the first fields, and they couldn’t make it that challenging.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible. Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

　Walking with a light cough on my shoulders, I reached the forest without encountering any demons.

　Apparently, the area between the town and the forest is an area where no enemies appear.

　Slightly dismayed, I drew my sword and stepped into the forest.

　Iori had her weapon out as well.

“…… Naginata, huh?”

“Yes, that …… I couldn’t handle the sword very well.”

　A naginata with a curved blade at the end of a long handle. It is a Japanese-style naginata, thinner than the Chinese scimitar.

　Apparently, after struggling to handle a Japanese-style weapon, she settled on this form.

　The long-handled weapon is easy to handle even for beginners, and it is probably one of the easiest weapons to attack with.

　In particular, the naginata, which can make slashing attacks as well as thrusting, should be easier to use than the sword.

“Well, I think it’s a good choice. Some of my students are learning the naginata. I know how to handle it a little.”

“A student ……?　Uhm, thank you very much. For me, I would have preferred to use a sword. ……”

“It’s a tricky weapon to handle, isn’t it?　That what Hisana said atleast”

　As I recall, I was told that instead of swords being more powerful, the durability of the weapon decreases quickly.

　I have been checking frequently since I heard that, but the durability of my sword is still in the 90% range.

　I think that these people are not able to make a proper line of the blade.

　If I could hit the vital points accurately, I would be able to reduce the number of times I swing my sword, which would reduce the decrease in its durability.

　The bottom line is that it is difficult to handle for beginners who have no experience with swords. ……

“T-The most important thing to remember is that you can’t have fun if you can’t use something you don’t know how to use. If you are satisfied with it, you can do whatever you want to do. I can give you some guidance, if you like.”

“Really?”

“I can’t give full-fledged guidance because of my position. But I can give you some light advice.”

　In my position as a teacher, I can only directly instruct the master and direct disciples.

　I cannot easily instruct others.

　Well, I am not that deeply trained in the art of naginata, and there is not much I can teach.

　As for the Kuinokami naginata, one of my nieces, who is also a naginata master, probably knows more about it than I do.

　I thought of my niece, who was so eager to train me, and I narrowed my eyes at the sound of something approaching.

　On the right side of the forest road, which had been cleared to some extent, probably for the felling of trees, there was a presence approaching from within the forest, swaying its branches.

“Iori, they are the enemy.”

“Y-yes”

　Iori finally notices my point and turns around and readies her naginata, following my line of sight.

　The sound is coming from a low position. I held my sword in the lower position and waited for her to approach.

　Soon, the owner of the presence appears, shaking the branches and leaves.

Forest Boar

　Type：Animal, Demon

　Level: 1

　State: Active

　Attributes: None

　Combat location: On the ground

　What appeared was a rather small boar.

　It was probably about 50 centimeters tall from the ground.

　Compared to a real boar, it was about the same size or slightly smaller.

　Boars are not an animal to be underestimated, but this one did not pose much of a threat.

“Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“It’s a forest boar. Its rush attack is moderately powerful, but if you avoid it and let it crash into a tree, it will stop moving for a while.”

“It doesn’t sound like such a troublesome opponent.”

　Only one enemy. Then, well, I’ll take this one.

　This is my first battle in this forest, so I want to get a feel for it first.

　Thinking this, I took a lower stance and approached the forest boar little by little with my sliding feet.

　Forest Boar, on the other hand, saw me coming forward and lowered his stance as if he was wary.

　Kicking the ground with his paw, he looked as if he was about to charge at me.

　Then, as if in accordance with his declaration, the forest boar leaped toward me with great force.

(Quite fast, but–)

　As for speed, the rabbits on the northern plains are rather faster.

　Judging this, I took a low step forward diagonally to the left, and at the moment my foot came forward, I kicked up my right hand gauntlet with my knee.

Way of decapitation–stiff form, bell tower.

　The flash of my foot pushed up with such speed that it could not be an attack from the lower level, and cut the right eye of the boar that was rushing toward me as if to gouge it out.

“Fugoh!”

“It stopped it tracks.”

　Perhaps due to the pain and the fact that it has been deprived of its vision, the boar falls to the ground rolling on the ground with the momentum of its rush.

　I kicked at the boar, which came to a halt just to my side, and with the momentum of my kick, I mercilessly swung my sword, which was held in the upper position.

Way of decapitation–Strong stance, bell tower fall

The kick is aimed at the face, and the opponent is stopped by the kick, and a special blow is delivered.

　The boar’s head was easily cut off by this two-stage technique, which is rare among Tsuyoshi’s kata.

　Well, it is only level 1, and this is about as good as it gets.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what the boss has in store for me…….”

“…… I’ve never seen anyone take down a forest boar during a rush attack before.”

“I see?　I feel like if you hit him with a big sword or a hammer at the right time, that would finish him off.”

“If the timing is off, it will be a disaster. Many of the players who come to this area are probably not used to handling weapons yet.”

“Which reminds me, this is a beginner’s area. Fumu……”

　Certainly, it would be a difficult task for an amateur to hit a moving target.

　According to Iori’s story earlier, this boar will stop moving for a while if you hit it with a tree.

　A quirky opponent who has stopped moving would be easier to attack, and in that sense, it is a suitable opponent for beginners.

　I’m not sure how the spider would be positioned if I were to think of it that way.

“Well, at any rate, we now know what kind of opponent we are dealing with. Let’s go ahead and …… at least have an opponent who is skilled enough to use his skills.”

“I’m rather surprised you can make it that far without using your skills. …… I’ve heard rumors, but you really are quite skilled.”

　Iori sighs as she lowers the naginata she is holding, and I carry the sword on my shoulder with a grin on my face.

　Anyway, the target is the boss. If it is the master of this area, it should be a little more formidable.

　Or perhaps there is some hope for an ordinary spider demon we haven’t seen yet.

“Come on, let’s move on.”

“Yes you’re right. Let’s go.”

　Iori does not go into our situation too much.

　I tried to talk to her as if I was divulging some information, but she didn’t bite as much as I thought she would.

　Was it because I was helping her, or was she genuinely interested only in the costumes?

　Either way, if she is modest, she is an easy person to deal with.

　I would not hesitate to teach her a few things.

“But …… you’re not very good at fighting, are you?”

“Ugh…… W-well, I’m a production worker.”

“So you’re the girl who prioritizes DEX. Wouldn’t you have been better off with a long-range offensive weapon?”

“It’s true that it would be a better match for me, but …… I wanted to use a sword or a naginata!”

　Iori, who declares this as if embracing her own naginata, can’t help but let out a wry smile.

　Well, you can do whatever you like about that. It’s not that I can’t use it at all, so it’s not so much of a problem as it is an issue.

　What I should be more concerned about is…

“First of all, to withdraw. Even against lower-ranked opponents with established methods of dealing with them, you are that hunchbacked. Can you fight against the spider boss?”

“U…… that is ……”

“…… Well, if you can fight your own battles, why would you ask me to?”

　Iori’s mumbled response makes me shrug my shoulders as I realize what’s going on.

　Well, I had originally planned to fight alone, so I guess I can say there is not much difference.

　I would like her to be able to protect herself at least,……, but I’m sure she’ll work on that by the time we get there.