Wiiing.
Ding ding.
“Welcome!”
As usual, the convenience store bell rang, and the clerk greeted me.
Today, I had a lot to buy.
Since I needed to focus on ‘Astria Online’ for a while, I had to limit my outings for groceries.
I immediately headed to the cup ramen section to pick out some ramen to sustain me for a while.
As my eyes scoured the convenience store ramen corner, they stopped at one item.
The not-too-spicy, delicious broth ‘Mild Ramen.’
I didn’t dislike bagged ramen, but cup ramen was just easier to eat and clean up without needing to wash dishes.
Alright, I’ve decided on this for my meals for now.
Ever since I became this way, my stomach seemed smaller, as one cup ramen and a triangular kimbap were enough for a day’s meal.
Of course, when I was being a hero, I had to eat more due to the high activity level.
Triangular kimbap has a short shelf life, so it wouldn’t be good to stock up, but one cup ramen was definitely not insufficient for a day’s meal.
Placing a small box of six cup ramen on my lap and grabbing a triangular kimbap for today’s treat, I maneuvered my powered wheelchair towards the checkout.
“……?”
The convenience store clerk inside the register gave me a puzzled look.
It wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking.
Usually, I bought one or at most two cup ramens.
But today, with my hands being less than functional, I carried a whole box of ramen, so he must have been curious about the reason.
But I had no obligation to explain. As a customer, I just needed to buy the items, and he only had to ring them up.
Beep.
As he scanned the barcodes of the items I placed on the counter, he suddenly spoke to me.
“Um, is today your last shift?”
Gasp.
I looked up at him with a slightly surprised expression.
This was awkward.
The main reason I came to the convenience store at this time was because this early twenties guy, who seemed uninterested in others, was working here.
Excessive interest felt burdensome.
A transactional relationship was just fine for me.
I could tolerate a curious gaze, but I really hated it when someone probed into my circumstances.
As disappointing as it was, there was nothing I could do.
Even though it was a bit far, I would have to use a self-service convenience store somewhere else or hope the next part-timer would be someone like him.
“…Thank you for your hard work.”
I murmured softly and bowed my head.
And I could see his eyes widening.
“…I think this is the first time I’ve heard your voice, customer?”
“Is that so?”
“I just… Ah, never mind!”
I tilted my head.
I hadn’t spoken much just because it wasn’t necessary; I wasn’t mute or anything.
His flustered gestures amused me, so I couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle.
Kick.
After finishing the transaction and placing the box of six cup ramens on my lap, I bowed my head once more and headed for the exit.
Wiiing.
As I stepped out of the convenience store, I heard the clerk’s voice from behind me.
“I’m glad to see you smile! Keep smiling as you go forward!”
I tentatively frowned but held back.
Since returning to Earth, I have felt a strong aversion to dealing with people, minimizing interactions.
Well, since it was the last time, I could manage this much.
I didn’t know if the next part-timer would come, but I hoped for a pretty older sister this time.
Someone who wouldn’t approach too much and would only interact with the necessary customer service level of interest.
Could it be that when people get engrossed in something, their emotional expressions become richer?
Today was the last shift for the part-timer, but under normal circumstances, I would have sent him off without a word.
Engaging in a bit of conversation with him was probably due to my changing state of mind.
And the reason that had stirred a bit of change in my heart was probably…
[Welcome to Astria Online.]
Well then, shall I strive to level up today as well?
*
Bouncy bounce.
I jumped a few times on my legs in place.
My silver hair swayed and tickled my eyes.
Stretching myself tall and swaying from side to side.
Even if I had a petite frame like a young girl, straightening my waist would make me look taller.
Hmm, good.
This body moves well today too.
“Eek!”
As I was stretching, I noticed a few users passing by.
I instantly shrank back and pulled the hood of my adventurer’s robe tighter.
In this place, I felt like I had returned to my vibrant self, but the moment someone approached, I shrank back again.
Still, dealing with people is tough.
I calmed my startled heart and stepped outside the city.
Clang, clang.
I faced off with three goblins that charged at me and skillfully blocked their attacks.
And as I took advantage of the delay in the goblins’ attacks, I unleashed the skill that could be linked after blocking.
Slash!
“Kyeeeek!”
The HP of all three goblins dropped to zero, and they fell.
[Block]
– Blocks attacks in a front 180-degree field.
[Slash (Strong)]
– Deals a strong slash attack in a front 180-degree field.
– (Instant activation) Trigger this upon a successful Block.
[Thrust (Strong)]
– Deals a strong thrust attack to a single target.
– (Instant activation) Trigger this upon a successful Block.
I checked the skills I obtained after my class change to swordsman.
“Hm, nice.”
The most fundamental blocking skill for swordsmen, ‘Block.’
And the basic attack skills ‘Slash’ and ‘Thrust.’
However, there was a considerable delay in executing the skill-type Slash and Thrust.
The condition to activate them instantly without delay was simply, ‘upon a successful Block.’
Swordsman skills could basically be used advantageously if executed after a successful Block.
“Block Monster!”
I hoisted the training steel sword high and shouted.
The swordsman is a Block Monster!
As I grasped the swordsman’s attack style and skills, I eagerly hunted the monsters in the field.
[Drizzle Rain]
[Swordsman]
[Level 9 (11.18%)]
How many hours had it been since I started hunting?
I began to feel that hunting goblins alone was slowing my growth.
Thud, thud!
Nearby, a fighter swiftly defeated one goblin and moved on to find the next.
“Oh.”
Unlike me, blocking all of the goblin’s attacks, that fighter was dodging and rapidly defeating them.
From further away, a wizard kept a safe distance, shooting fire and ice to hunt the goblins.
Clearly, both of them were faster at hunting than I was as a swordsman.
“Ugh, hmmm.”
I fell into thought.
Though my attack power was lower than those of other classes, my leveling speed wouldn’t be significantly slower since I could tackle multiple enemies at once.
Still, to grow rapidly, I needed to find a more effective method than this.
I left the goblin zone.
The orc zone was suitable for level 10 and above.
As a level 9, hunting here wouldn’t come easy for me.
But if I stayed in the goblin zone, I could risk falling behind in levels.
Let’s just charge in.
Clang, clang!
“Eeek!”
I boldly jumped into the midst of two orcs, and even though I was blocking, I felt a strong shock.
My HP wobbled.
The orc’s strong attack couldn’t be completely nullified by the swordsman’s Block.
Still, I diligently defended and managed to take down both orcs by attacking between my blocks.
“Hah.”
I sighed and sat down where I was.
Even though I had only fought two orcs, it took quite a while and drained half of my HP.
Even with a world similar to my memories, my previous abilities weren’t simply returning.
What I lost, I had lost.
I had very little now.
No holy sword to enhance my physical abilities and no infinite mana.
I couldn’t even channel sword energy from my blade, and it was hard to grasp the sword path without using skills that were forced to activate in the ‘system.’
All I had now were ‘stats’ that matched a petite girl’s frame.
At least it’s a relief that my legs can move freely.
If agility and strength stats rise significantly, I might be able to mimic my previous movements.
In the end, it seems there’s no choice but to adapt to the ‘system’ of this world.
In the past, my experiences playing RPG games in my previous life, though faintly remembered, would be of some help.
“By the way, the HP recovery speed is slow.”
Since I hadn’t been afflicted by bleeding or any status ailments, it should recover naturally if left alone, but with this speed of hunting, keeping up with the leading players would be tough.
Already, there were quite a few users hunting in the orc zone. They were still enduring attacks with their bodies while hunting, just like in the goblin zone.
Considering the heavy damage they likely received, I wondered if such hunting methods were still effective here.
That question was soon answered. Nearby users were all drinking something while hunting.
“Potion!”
HP Recovery Potion.
Indeed, if I used that, I could sustain hunting for longer without needing to wait to recover.
I paused my hunting and returned to town.
*
“Mmm… Hmm….”
“What? If you’re not buying anything, get out.”
“Oh, no! I’m going to buy something!”
A middle-aged male NPC at the general store spoke to me with a disinterested expression.
I jumped in surprise and responded.
While it was a bit hard dealing with actual user characters, chatting with virtual reality NPCs didn’t feel as uncomfortable.
I shot a glare at the unfriendly NPC who had a sour expression.
I knew he was an NPC, but he felt so human.
AI technology is truly amazing.
I looked away from him and double-checked the potion’s effects.
[HP Recovery Potion (Small)]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds]
[Recovers 100 HP over 10 seconds.]
My current HP was 300, so in 10 seconds, that’d be a total of 1/3 of my HP recovered.
It was more than enough to counter the damage taken from blocking the orc’s strikes.
Surely, with that recovery amount, I could manage hunting while taking some hits.
The bigger issue was, of course, the potion’s price.
“30 copper each.”
After roughly five hours of hunting goblins and completing quests to earn roughly 5 silver, I had gained about 500 copper.
That meant I couldn’t even buy twenty potions with the money I had made in five hours.
I tightly shut my eyes and bought five potions.
“P-necessary expense.”
Indeed, it seemed most leading users were spending all their earnings on potions while hunting.
If rapid growth was the goal, investing was surely necessary.
Fortunately, as a swordsman, I had Block, so I could hunt while minimizing my HP consumption, allowing me to save money.
I stopped by the weapon shop on my way out of the general store.
[Market Guard’s Sword]
[Attack Power: 20]
[10 Silver]
“Eek.”
Expensive!
Is this how much the next-tier weapon costs?
It was a massive amount for the early game when currency wasn’t flowing yet.
In the orc hunting grounds, there were people wielding the market guard weapon.
Rather than earning 10 silver by themselves, they probably bought gold from other players for an early rapid growth.
It was a dream for someone as poor as me.
But, but.
While having that weapon would undoubtedly speed up my hunting, was it really necessary to buy an ordinary store weapon without any special options?
I could always find better weapons later in dungeons or such.
I left the weapon shop, tasting the bitterness of regret.
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