Chapter 8
The First Quest and Skill Awakening
Today, I woke up earlier than usual to prepare.
I went down to the first floor, greeted Milinda, and had breakfast. The food at the inn was quite delicious; although there were many ingredients I had never seen before, their wonderful flavor allowed me to enjoy them naturally.
After finishing my meal, I bid farewell to Milinda and headed toward the Adventurers' Guild. Upon entering, everyone glanced at me before returning to their work. I walked up to the reception desk and asked:
"Excuse me, are there any quests for F-rank adventurers?"
"Currently, there are quite a few delivery and herb-gathering quests for low-rank adventurers. Would you like to take one of those?"
I nodded and walked over to the quest board. After a few minutes of browsing, I selected a herb-gathering quest meant for rookies.
By the way, adventurers could accept quests one rank higher than their own, which added variety to the quests available at each rank.
Turning back, I held the quest sheet and walked to the reception desk.
"I will take this quest."
"Ah, the quest to gather Hith Grass. Do you know what it looks like?"
I shook my head. The receptionist reached down into a cabinet and pulled out a large book.
"This is what Hith Grass looks like. You can also use Analysis on plants."
Leaving the Adventurers' Guild, I headed toward the capital's North Gate, where Hith Grass grew in abundance. After about twenty minutes of walking, I arrived at the North Gate.
"Show me your status board to verify your identity."
I was flustered, not wanting anyone to see my weak status. I did not want to experience the humiliation from the palace again. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my adventurer card.
"Can I use my adventurer card instead? I lost my status board."
"That works, but you must place your hand on this crystal ball to verify that you are not a criminal."
As he spoke, the guard pointed to a crystal-clear ball over there.
I walked over and placed my hand on the ball, and a white light appeared inside.
"Not black? You may pass."
How convenient! Just looking at the light inside the ball was enough to know if someone was a criminal? Truly a different world.
Passing through the gate, I headed toward the highlands near the forest, a few kilometers away from the capital. I began my work. Although I remembered the appearance of Hith Grass, I still intentionally used Analysis to see.
[Plant...]
This was the result when I used Analysis on the nearby plants. Surprised by the result, I decided to use it on Hith Grass.
[Plant...]
The result remained the same, so I tried it on ordinary grass.
[Plant...]
Still the same result. Quite disappointed, I wandered around testing the skill on every blade of grass I saw, yet the result never changed.
After dozens of attempts, I suddenly heard a voice echo in my mind.
- Analysis skill has reached Level 2, evolving into 'Analysis <Low>: Level 2'.
"Level 2?" I asked myself. Then, I tried using it on Hith Grass again.
[Hith Grass: Used for pain relief and...]
"Hmph, the information has appeared, but it seems to be incomplete." So the higher the level, the more complete the skill becomes? That makes sense.
After that, I continued my task of gathering Hith Grass. About three hours later, I began heading back to the capital with a large amount of Hith Grass in the magic bag gifted by the king. Thanks to the Analysis skill, the task was quite easy. Although incomplete, displaying the name was already a great help.
Entering the city, I went through the same procedure as when I left. I returned to the Adventurers' Guild and submitted the gathered materials. I placed the bag on the reception desk and poured out the items.
"Ehhh? In just about four hours, you gathered this large of an amount?"
The receptionist looked completely bewildered. Her cry of surprise drew everyone's gaze toward me. Part of it was due to the quantity I had gathered, and the other part was because I had flustered their "idol." At this moment, countless gazes as sharp as daggers were directed at me.
Calming herself, the receptionist began to sort through my materials.
After about twenty minutes of sorting, she was finally finished.
"W-Well, each stalk is worth four copper coins. There are one hundred and twelve stalks of Hith Grass here, so you will receive forty-four silver coins and eight copper coins. I will pay you forty-seven silver coins because you harvested them with the roots intact."
Thus, I obtained forty-seven silver coins, a fairly high income for an ordinary person.
With the remaining time, I visited the roadside shops to purchase some equipment and snacks.
I bought a steel dagger for one point five gold coins and a few other items.
"Weapons are indeed expensive." Afterward, I had the idea of using Analysis on equipment.
[Steel Dagger: Fairly sturdy and sharp, forged from...]
Oh, so Analysis could be used on items as well. Although it did not display full information like it did with plants, this still made me happy to possess such a convenient skill.
After purchasing equipment and food, I went to the library to continue reading the books I had left unfinished and search for new ones. I wanted to understand as much about this world as possible.
The next day, I returned to the Adventurers' Guild and accepted another herb-gathering quest: "Gather Rutah Grass." This grass grew quite far from the capital but fetched a high price, so I decided to gather it.
Walking to the West Gate, I went through the same procedure as yesterday to leave, simply because I did not want anyone to see my status board.
After about two hours of walking, a massive forest appeared before me. I had heard that there were many dangerous monsters inside.
However, my goal was not exploration but merely gathering Rutah Grass at the edge of the forest next to a large lake.
Furthermore, I wanted to level up my skill, as it would be highly beneficial for my life in this world.
After about an hour of searching for Rutah Grass and using Analysis on everything I saw, that voice echoed in my mind once more.
- Analysis skill has reached Level 3, evolving into 'Analysis <Low>: Level 3'.
After the skill leveled up, I immediately used it on the pile of gathered Rutah Grass.
[Rutah Grass: Used for cold medicine or brewing HP Potions, non-toxic, can be eaten fresh.]
The "..." had disappeared, meaning it was now sufficient to display comprehensive information. Overjoyed, I used it on another plant to confirm.
[Weed: Grows wild, mildly toxic, cannot be eaten fresh.]
"So it is truly complete!" I blurted out, my heart filled with joy.
I continued my work for about thirty minutes before stopping to rest. Taking out the bread I had bought this morning along with some water, I enjoyed my lunch.
After lunch, I continued searching for Rutah Grass. "Công việc mà." Suddenly, I noticed a green, waterdrop-like blob at my feet. Startled, I used the dagger I had bought yesterday to stab down at the green blob, splattering it everywhere.
- Level Up.
That voice echoed in my mind once more. "Level Up?" I quickly checked my status board.
- Name: Kagigata Sechi
- Race: Human
- Vocation: The Worthless One
- Level: 2
HP: 60
MP: 17
Defense: 35
Agility: 57
Stamina: 28
Intelligence (IQ): 120
- Skills:
+ Analysis <Low>: Level 3
+ Fire Magic Damage Reduction <Passive>
- Equipment:
+ Steel Dagger
- Unique Skill:
+ Absolute Disassembly
- Special Skills:
<<None>>
- Martial Arts/Sword Arts:
+ Heavenly Dao: Level 1
- Titles:
<<None>>
"Ehhh? What is this?" I blurted out, fortunately there was no one around.
"My stats have increased, my level has increased, and I even received a new skill? What is going on?"
Though flustered, I calmly examined it. I used Analysis on the new skill.
- Fire Magic Damage Reduction: Reduces a portion of damage from magic with the fire attribute.
I had a new skill, and it was a passive one.
While rejoicing over the increased stats, level, and new skill, I re-examined my Status Board and...
"Absolute Disassembly? A Unique Skill? Meaning I am the only one who has this skill?" My thoughts escaped my mind and echoed aloud.
Quickly, I used Analysis on that skill.
[Absolute Disassembly: A personal skill of Kagigata Sechi, passive skill. Increases experience gained by 50%, obtains 30% of the enemy's stats upon defeat, grants a chance to acquire the target's skills and equipment upon defeat, increases item drop rate from monsters. Has a 0.1% chance...]
"Ehhh? The '...' is still there?"
"But wait, the skill name sounds so mystical, and it's a personal skill, so only I have it?"
"W-W-What? What are the contents of this skill? Increases experience by 50%, obtains 30% of stats. How powerful!" I shouted into the vast space.
So this was the reason why I leveled up after killing just one Smile? My stats increased rapidly because of this as well?
After a period of shock, I gradually calmed down.
"Then what lies within the '...'? Clearly, Analysis can display full information now."
Reflecting on the matter for a moment, I reached a conclusion: "Analysis has not yet reached the required level to display absolutely everything."
This meant I still had to raise the levels of my skills further.
Toward evening, I returned to the capital and went to the Adventurers' Guild to sell the Rutah Grass I had gathered. Once again, I astonished the receptionist, and the money I received was seven copper coins per stalk of Rutah Grass, totaling fifty-one silver coins.
Thus, I possessed a fortune quite larger than that of an ordinary person.
I proceeded to purchase some equipment, such as light armor and boots, which cost me two gold coins. I still had about ninety-seven gold coins left after three days in this world.
I walked back to the inn, my heart filled with joy over my skills, looking forward to a better tomorrow.