Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Level Up Chance (1)
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“Kyaaah! M-M-Monster!”
“R-Run away!”
The sudden monster uproar in the middle of the shopping district turned the entire area into chaos in an instant.
Katarina and Isabel, who had been heading back to the city entrance with me, pointed toward the source of the screams, showing their own sense of crisis.
“M-M-Monster?! What is that?!”
“Kyaaah! L-Lilith! Over there…!”
“……”
…Yeah, it was definitely a monster.
One that was a bit too much for an ordinary person to handle.
‘Kkuuiiiik…!’
A single monster with coarse, bristly hair like it was born that way, resembling a wild boar, letting out an enraged pig-like squeal.
If my memories from my past life were correct, this was undoubtedly a beast-type monster called a Hooktusk Boar.
Appropriate hunting level around 10. For the protagonist, it was about the level reached after progressing through the early story, so in the actual game, it wasn’t particularly threatening.
Of course, that only applied to special professions like ‘academy aspirants,’ and for ordinary people, it felt entirely different.
“S-Save me!”
“Guards! Call the guards!”
No matter how vast Blackwood territory was or how skilled its knights, that only applied to the knights defending the territory.
To the citizens of Blackwood territory, who lived inside the thoroughly defended walls and rarely saw anything worse than slimes, a level 10 Hooktusk Boar was a highly threatening monster.
The same went for Lilith, who was only level 2 and whose only usable spell was Clean.
‘Still, how the hell…?’
This wasn’t some frontier or outskirts village; a Hooktusk Boar rampaging inside the walled territory was downright bizarre.
The only monsters that could appear inside the walls were slimes that naturally spawned after rain, at most.
And even those rarely came from mountains or forests.
The question floating in my mind was naturally answered by the worn-out scroll lying near the Hooktusk Boar.
‘Monster Sealing Scroll…!’
In this world, scrolls were typically items used to store things.
They couldn’t seal physical objects, mostly used for sealing magic or special techniques.
But there was one exception: scrolls that sealed wild monsters didn’t follow that rule.
‘One of the academy professors developed it for training similar to real combat, I think.’
Among scrolls, the only one that could seal a physical entity was the ‘Monster Sealing Scroll.’
One of them must have broken its seal in the middle of the shopping district, summoning the trapped monster.
Probably too worn out with a weakened seal, or accidentally torn during transport.
‘…Maybe, this is an opportunity.’
A heaven-sent chance to finally escape this damned level 2 rut and leap to the next stage.
The proper way would be to hunt small monsters like slimes or shell beetles bit by bit to level up, but that only applied to ordinary people who could freely roam outside.
For Lilith, who needed permission just to leave the mansion, let alone visit a hunting ground, this opportunity was more than welcome.
‘Plus, a monster sealed in a scroll is much easier to handle.’
To seal a monster in a ‘Monster Sealing Scroll,’ the first step was weakening it significantly.
At least half HP, possibly near death—a level 10 monster.
Purely by level, it was over five times stronger than Lilith, so fighting it would be insane, but emerging from a scroll meant its HP was already below half.
All conditions were perfectly aligned; it was too good to just run from this fight.
‘Kkuiiiieek…!’
“U-Uh, m-monster… W-What do we do…”
“L-Lilith! Let’s run! We need to call the guards first!”
“…Isabel, you and Senior Katarina go ahead.”
“…Huh?”
“…I have something to take care of.”
“W-Wait! Where are you—Lilith…!”
Having just broken free from the scroll, the Hooktusk Boar rampaged noisily through the center of the shopping district.
The residents panicked and scattered from the sudden level 10 monster.
I headed straight toward the monster without hesitation.
“…I’ll pay later.”
“H-Hey?! Miss, it’s dangerous!”
I had no proper weapon. No usable skills either.
So I grabbed three metal skewers from a nearby skewer stall that caught my eye.
I drew the attention of the still-rampaging Hooktusk Boar with a shout.
“Hey!! You ugly fat pig bastard!!!”
All eyes turned to me at my sudden yell.
I had no time to worry about the stares. The priority was pulling the monster’s attention to me.
I needed to start and end this fight as quickly as possible.
…Before the territory guards heard and arrived first.
“Fat piglet!! Over here!!!”
‘Kkuik?!’
I waved the skewers, their savory smell wafting, to bait it. The Hooktusk Boar immediately turned toward me.
Indeed, for grabbing a simple monster’s attention, a loud voice and food were the best.
The beast, drawn by my voice and the skewers, charged straight at me.
I watched its movements, staying put until it was right in front of me.
“Lilith! It’s dangerous!”
Isabel calling my name urgently from behind.
I told her to go ahead, so why was she sticking around in danger?
It was a distraction I couldn’t ignore entirely, but right now, I had to focus on the fight.
Just as the Hooktusk Boar’s protruding tusks thrust toward my body, I threw myself left to dodge the first attack.
-Whoooosh!
The large monster grazed past me with a harsh wind.
The moment its head swept by, I jammed one of the three metal skewers into its nape.
The monster, with half a skewer’s length of metal embedded in its throat, squealed like a pig being slaughtered.
‘Kkuuiiiik!!’
I’d stabbed precisely into a weak spot, so despite the level gap, it had to take some damage.
It was a shame I couldn’t push it all the way in, but under these conditions, that strike was already impressive.
My magic power was nearing 300 or whatever—facts remained: no proper attack skills, and one hit would nearly kill me.
Trading blows was impossible, so securing safety came first. Landing hits came after.
‘Kkueeeek…!!’
Pained by the nape stab after charging for food, the enraged monster charged at me again, squealing furiously.
Thanks to the first attack’s damage, its speed was noticeably slower.
It was already in poor condition from being sealed.
“One sec.”
I shoved half of one skewer into my mouth.
Not because I was hungry—for the second strike, to embed it deeper.
To stab deeper in that brief moment, I needed to reduce friction.
As the slowed monster approached, I rolled aside again to dodge the second body slam.
Twisting the second skewer, I drove it as deep as possible into its flank as it staggered past.
‘Kkuiiiieek…!!’
Fuck. So damn loud.
Anyway, judging by the volume of its screams and its sluggish movements, it was basically done.
One more hit to the throat or face would finish it for sure…
“Miss! Get out of there quick!”
Ah, damn it.
Why was Blackwood territory’s security so good?
Less than five minutes after the monster appeared, territory guard soldiers arrived to subdue it.
Someone who seemed the highest-ranking shouted at me to fall back.
“We’ll handle the rest, so you run too, miss! Hurry!”
‘…What?’
They’ll handle the rest?
This near-death monster that one more hit would kill?
The one I’d risked my life twice to damage?
I’d rolled on the ground twice to bring it to the brink, and these bastards wanted to steal my finishing blow?
“Miss! If you don’t fall back, it’s dangerous…!”
“Shut up and get lost!”
“Uh……”
“I’m finishing this bastard no matter what! Take one more step and see what happens…!!”
This was my first level-up chance in forever—hand it over to the territory guards?
I wouldn’t allow it, even if it meant my neck on the line.
…I had to claim this possibly once-in-a-lifetime level-up chance, no matter what.