Clash of Beasts
The relaxed atmosphere shattered in an instant.
"Prepare for battle! Merchants, get inside the carriages and stay there!"
"Vanguard, step up and protect them! Archers, cover us from the rear!"
The mercenaries raised their weapons in unison, moving with practiced coordination.
Even if they were greenhorns, they made their living by the blade; their situational awareness was sharp.
I drew my cutlass, my gaze cold and analytical as I watched the pack of monsters charging down the hill.
Tring!
An unexpected monster ambush is always a grave threat!
The merchants are gripped by fear! The passive skill Chaos temporarily increases your Agility by 1.
There's quite a few of them...
It was a mixed pack of Kobolds and Lesser Rats.
There were about forty in total, with no other monster types in sight.
While their numbers were somewhat daunting, their individual strength was low. We should be able to repel them without taking significant casualties.
Perhaps because I had already faced a Death Knight and colossal sea behemoths the size of houses, this pack didn't feel particularly intimidating.
And if they were only at this level...
"...Lord Malton, would it be alright if I joined the fight?"
"You as well?"
Malton looked at me with a contemplative gaze.
On paper, he was my bodyguard, and I was his client.
If I were to get hurt, it would tarnish his reputation, and he could face penalties from the Adventurers' Guild for failing the commission.
Normally, it was an offer he should have refused outright, but...
"...Kobolds are small of stature. Do not overextend yourself trying to slash them; instead, utilize the reach of your cutlass to systematically subdue them. As for the Lesser Rats, they pose little threat if you mind their sharp claws and fangs. However, they are quite nimble, so remain vigilant."
"Thank you."
I smiled as I raised my blade.
This was another reason I liked Malton.
Unlike other rigid, stubborn elves, he possessed a great deal of flexibility.
Appreciating his consideration, I focused my attention on the approaching monsters.
After escaping the ghost ship fleet, my current level was 7.
An adult Kobold was around level 6, and Lesser Rats were even lower, meaning that even as a beginner, I could easily handle them if I remained cautious.
I can't let such a perfect opportunity to level up slip away.
As I finished my assessment and stepped forward, bewildered shouts erupted from the surrounding mercenaries.
"W-Wait! What is that guy doing? Wasn't he supposed to take shelter in the carriage?!"
"Surely he isn't planning to fight?"
I let their cries go in one ear and out the other, the corners of my mouth curving upward.
I could have just stood back and picked off whatever stray monsters came my way, but that would be wasting a golden opportunity.
In Velheim, where the required experience points scaled exponentially with each level, this situation was a priceless chance to reach level 30 within my time limit.
Furthermore, to slay as many monsters as possible, I needed to catch the mercenaries off guard and trigger my Chaos skill.
For instance...
"Follow me!!!"
The mercenaries are utterly appalled!
If the client dies during a mission, the guild will impose severe penalties!
The effect of Chaos increases your Agility!
"G-Grab that crazy bastard!"
"Bwahahaha!"
Laughing, I charged toward the monsters, sensing the panicked mercenaries scrambling to catch up behind me.
They screamed all sorts of things, but their shouts only made me accelerate.
And finally, the moment I dashed down the hill and clashed with the Kobolds—
A single flash.
Swinging my blade from a mid-guard stance, I sheared clean through a Kobold's neck.
Crimson blood sprayed along the blade, drawing a red arc across the sky as the severed head tumbled onto the grass.
A flawless preemptive strike.
As the metallic scent of blood tickled my nose, the system notifications updated.
You have taken a Kobold's life with a single blow!
The mercenaries are astonished! Your movements, enhanced by the Chaos skill, are far too agile for a beginner!
Your Strength temporarily increases by 2.
I immediately recovered my stance to prepare for the next strike, spotting a Lesser Rat crouching to spring.
Lesser Rats possessed weak bite force and pathetic physical strength.
Lacking the intelligence to cast magic, their only means of attack were their fangs and claws.
Which meant its next move would be—
A lunging leap.
In an instant, the Lesser Rat kicked off the ground, pouncing toward me.
It was the signature attack pattern of a Lesser Rat, one I had witnessed hundreds, if not thousands, of times while playing the game.
The moment I recognized it, my body was already in motion.
—Squeeeeeeek!
The severed right arm of the Lesser Rat flew into the air.
It was a clean upward slash, rising from low to high.
Without pausing, I twisted my wrist and slit the creature's throat.
As the sharp tip of my curved blade tore through its neck, a satisfying, solid sensation reverberated through the hilt.
You have defeated a Kobold!
You have defeated a Lesser Rat!
The adventurers witnessing your combat are amazed! Your Luck increases by 1.
Yes...! It's working!
I quickly shook the carcass off my blade and raised my head.
It was excellent news that the swordsmanship I had learned for combat against humans was equally effective against monsters.
Calming my racing heart, I focused on the path ahead and saw two Kobolds charging toward me.
Once again, my body moved automatically.
No hesitation.
The golden rule of fighting multiple opponents was to keep moving constantly and never expose one's back.
In Velheim, being surrounded was one of the most dangerous situations you could find yourself in.
An attack from behind could claim the life of even the most seasoned swordsman in the blink of an eye.
Without realizing it, I was projecting the warrior character I used to play in Velheim onto myself.
How would the in-game me act right now?
"Haaah!"
Before the monsters could encircle me, I lunged toward the one on the right and swung my sword.
Putting my weight into the slash, I sheared through the Kobold's thigh.
As the creature tumbled to the ground with a horrific shriek, I plunged my blade into its throat to silence it, then immediately rushed the remaining Kobold.
The Kobold lashed out with its claws, but I had already anticipated the move.
I nimbly deflected its swipe, then used the superior reach of my cutlass to pierce its chest.
Applying pressure to the hilt, I shattered its ribs, and a spray of warm blood splattered across my cheek.
As if waiting for this exact moment, a Lesser Rat lunged from the side—
Crunch!
In that split second, I wrenched my sword free while simultaneously stepping back to create distance.
It was a footwork technique combining jumps and quick steps—one my character had utilized constantly.
Slipping out of the line of fire in an instant, I lunged forward and grabbed the Lesser Rat by the neck. The creature stared up at me, its eyes wide with terror.
I slammed it onto the ground and drove my blade downward.
Ignoring the level-up notifications popping up in my vision, I continued my slaughter until the battlefield finally came into view.
It was entirely one-sided.
Kobolds and Lesser Rats were being kicked and put to the sword by the mercenaries.
Despite their initial ferocious charge, the monsters were rapidly being wiped out.
After all, these were paid mercenaries; they weren't about to struggle against bottom-tier monsters like Kobolds or Lesser Rats.
But the most eye-catching figure among them was undoubtedly Malton, who was systematically crushing Kobolds' skulls with his heavy mace.
As I watched in silence, Malton—who had single-handedly dispatched nearly half of the Kobolds—wiped the blood from his golden hair and spoke.
"Whew... A rather unsightly affair. Getting blood on oneself is always a tedious nuisance."
"Good work. Thank you for allowing me to join the fray."
"Think nothing of it. To be frank, I was somewhat concerned, but you fought far better than I anticipated. I would easily believe it if someone told me you were already a seasoned swordsman. If it is not an imposition, might I ask your level?"
"My level?"
"You need not answer if you prefer not to. It is indeed discourteous to inquire about one's level upon a first meeting. However, for someone who claimed to be a mere aspiring adventurer, your swordsmanship showed a remarkable degree of experience. I could not help but wonder."
I chuckled inwardly as I looked at Malton's gentle smile.
How would he react if he knew that we had once traveled together, tearing down the cult of the evil god side-by-side?
Still, should I tell him my actual level?
The concept of levels was widely recognized even among the denizens of Velheim.
They seemed to perceive it as a sort of divine blessing bestowed upon warriors who defeated many monsters.
Unlike players, who could intuitively check their levels via a status window, the residents of Velheim had to use special tools at a temple to verify theirs.
"...It is 7. I was right on the verge of leveling up, so this battle might have pushed me to 8."
"Oh...! And yet you move with such agility...?! Truly remarkable! You may very well possess the latent talent of a warrior!"
"..."
Well, that was because I had hunted Kobolds and Lesser Rats more times than I could count in the game.
And I had been confident that the stat bonuses from my rune combined with the temporary boosts from Chaos would allow me to overwhelm them.
While putting my life on the line in bloody combat against monsters was still terrifying, I knew I could survive in this world if I actively utilized the knowledge I had accumulated over ten years of playing Velheim.
I bowed my head slightly, expressing my gratitude to Malton for allowing me to fight.
Though I had acted somewhat impulsively, his easygoing chuckle suggested that I had left a favorable impression on him.
As the situation settled down, the merchants who had taken refuge inside the carriages began to crawl out one by one.
"I-Is it over?"
"Whew... That gave me quite a fright. To think a pack of monsters would ambush us out of nowhere in broad daylight..."
"Ahem! Thank you, everyone! On behalf of the merchant group, I, Amour, express my deepest gratitude for your valiant defense! If you bring me the materials from the monsters you defeated, I shall purchase them at standard market price!"
It was customary for the protected merchant group to purchase the materials of any monsters slain during an escort mission.
Let's see... The only parts of Kobolds and Lesser Rats that are worth anything are their fangs and pelts, right?
I walked over to the monsters I had slain.
Velheim was an ultra-realistic game.
Slain monsters didn't just vanish into thin air, leaving behind neat item drops, nor did they randomly drop crystallized mana stones.
Therefore, if you wanted to make money from hunting monsters, you had to manually harvest the carcasses, skinning and carving out any valuable materials to sell to the right buyers.
Because of this, players would sometimes defeat powerful monsters only to end up broke, having spent more on herbs and potions than the harvest was worth.
Just another reason Velheim was a trash game!
Ugh... This is really testing my stomach.
Crouching in the field, I began the task of butchering the Kobolds and Lesser Rats I had killed.
Rummaging through monster carcasses just to make a few coins made the reality of being in another world truly sink in.
It also made me understand why low-level characters in Velheim had a small chance of vomiting while harvesting materials.
The deeper I drove the blade, the more the foul stench of raw entrails wafted up.
The nauseating odor secreted from blood-soaked scent glands, the lingering warmth of the carcasses, and the distinct, musky stench of wild beasts assaulted my senses.
Struggling to skin them with a cutlass—a weapon entirely unsuited for butchering—sweat poured down my face despite the cool weather.
Once I reach the city, buying a utility dagger is my top priority...
No wonder large parties hired professional skinners.
However, as I stood up holding the ragged pelts and Kobold fangs, a sudden sense of unease washed over me.
But... why were Lesser Rats and Kobolds pack-hunting together?
"Is something amiss? You look pale."
"Well, you see..."
I spoke in a low voice.
"It is actually extremely rare for Kobolds and Lesser Rats to form a pack together. Normally, Kobolds prey on Lesser Rats. Furthermore, both are notoriously cowardly monsters. For them to charge a group of this size..."
"So I am not the only one who found it strange."
Kobolds and Lesser Rats occupied the absolute bottom of the monster ecosystem, making them naturally cautious and timid.
The moment they sensed human presence, they would typically flee as fast as their legs could carry them, not launch a head-on assault.
And even if we had encroached on their territory, forcing them to attack...
Kobolds and Lesser Rats usually nest in dark, damp caves or dense forests, don't they?
They certainly weren't creatures you would expect to encounter in such large numbers out in an open field.
Could there be another reason?
A reason why they were drawn to this specific place...
As I pondered the cause behind the monsters' anomalous behavior, I sensed someone striding toward me from ahead.
That man... he's the captain of the mercenaries.
What business does he have with me?