LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 3
Rian wore a satisfied expression.
It seemed his consistent practice of the basics had paid off.
“See? I told you, I have a knack for swordsmanship.”
Pon blinked, too stunned to respond for a moment.
“T-that just now… was that battojutsu?”
Pon was so shocked that he didn’t even question why a wooden sword produced a metallic click! sound during its draw.
“Definitely [Physical], and specialized in swordsmanship! Incredible!”
“Well… it’s not that amazing.”
“Could you show me again?”
“Of course.”
Rian performed his battojutsu once more with a resounding click! Despite the distance, another Wobbling Slime disintegrated into glittering dust.
“Such remarkable battojutsu! Amazing!”
Pon flapped his stubby fins excitedly in an attempt to clap but failed to make them meet.
Rian’s cheeks flushed slightly.
It was the first time he’d been so praised for something as basic as his fundamental skills, and he felt both proud and a bit embarrassed.
“Normally, we’d visit the Summoner Training Grounds first to get you a proper weapon, but I don’t think that’s necessary!”
Since Rian had already taken down a Wobbling Slime in one strike, hunting other slimes didn’t seem like it would be a challenge.
Pon added some extra explanations.
“See those green slimes over there? They’re faster than the others.”
For close-range fighters like swordsmen, green slimes were often avoided.
They were quick and had high stamina, making them frustrating to chase down and not worth the effort.
“What level are they?”
“It varies, but they’re usually around Level 2 or 3,” Pon said, puffing out his chest with pride at being able to share his knowledge.
“They’re not very cost-effective to hunt since you’ll tire yourself out chasing them. But with your battojutsu…”
Pon trailed off, his eyes widening.
A small fireball shot from Rian’s wooden sword, instantly incinerating the green slime.
[You have defeated a Green Slime.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Current Level: 2]
“T-that just now…”
Pon was sure it had been magic.
Some summoners arrived in this world already possessing magical abilities from their original dimensions.
“Magic?”
“What are you talking about?” Rian frowned slightly.
“That was fire-elemental swordsmanship.”
Pon started feeling a creeping sense of unease.
This doesn’t add up…
Even if Rian had practiced swordsmanship before being summoned, his strength shouldn’t be this overwhelming.
When summoners arrive in this world, they typically lose most of their original abilities.
This world was governed by mana and levels. No matter how powerful someone had been in their original world, if they were Level 1 here, their strength should reflect that.
But even slimes are falling like leaves…
Even assuming exceptional skill, this was unusual.
Shouldn’t he be getting tired by now?
Most summoners, even skilled ones, would struggle due to a lack of stamina or mana, making leveling up essential to reclaim their true power.
But Rian showed no signs of fatigue.
Pon tilted his head, puzzled.
Did he train his stamina to an extreme degree?
He decided he’d need advice from more experienced guides.
Pon accessed the Guide Community, an anonymous forum restricted to certified guides.
Subject: A Question About a New Summoner
Content:
Hello, this is a 7-year veteran guide. I’m seeking advice about a recently summoned summoner… He’s hunting slimes without showing any signs of fatigue. How should I interpret this? Any recommendations for proper development would be appreciated.
Meanwhile, some Immortals (Users) in the hunting grounds were grumbling.
“There’s always some weirdo camping out in newbie zones, isn’t there?”
The figure in question had no proper equipment and seemed to only use basic Fireball spells.
Yet, even slimes with high fire resistance, like the Red Slime, were burning to ash.
The Users shook their heads as they watched.
“And he’s using a wooden sword, not even a staff.”
“Must be some high-level mage in disguise.”
“Ugh, what a freak.”
In gaming worlds, there were always a few “eccentric” players like this.
Using a wooden sword as a staff and obliterating slimes with basic beginner magic while making it look like swordsmanship was an absurd level of overkill.
“The kind of guy who says, ‘Advanced magic and swordsmanship are indistinguishable,’ huh?”
“Let’s just leave. Hunting here is pointless now.”
“Why did today have to be the day some lunatic decided to camp here?”
It wasn’t just fire magic.
Every time Rian drew his wooden sword with battojutsu-like precision, slimes fell one by one.
“Invisible Magic?”
“He’s using Invisible Magic, too?”
Invisible Magic was powerful but incredibly inefficient, consuming massive amounts of skill points. Most mages avoided it because it offered no flashy effects, which were generally more popular.
Typical players preferred visually impressive spells like Fireball over something subtle like Invisible Magic, even if the latter was more efficient in combat.
Invisible Magic was usually the domain of hardcore PvP specialists—players who prioritized results over appearances.
“God, this guy’s such a trying hard.”
“He’s not just trying hard; he’s rotten to the core.”
The “veteran” Rian had reached Level 4.
The nearby slimes were beginning to vanish, hunted faster than they could respawn.
As he continued his relentless hunting spree, the slimes, in all their various colors, began converging on a single point.
“Huh? Is the Giant Slime about to appear?”
“Ooh, the Giant Slime!”
The sudden phenomenon made Rian pause his hunting.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a Giant Slime event,” Pon explained.
The “Giant Slime” was a field boss that appeared in the slime zone every few days.
While its attack power wasn’t particularly high, its defense was exceptional.
It often took countless newbie players more than three hours of continuous attacks to bring it down.
Despite the challenge, the Giant Slime was immensely popular among beginners due to the high experience points and rapid skill proficiency gains it offered.
“Can you tell what level the Giant Slime is?”
Pon flinched slightly but quickly regained his composure, flipping open his Guide’s Manual: Become a Perfect Guide in Just a Few Steps! and reading aloud:
“Wild Giant Slimes are typically around Level 20, but the Giant Slime in the Starting Village field is fixed at Level 5.”
As the slimes merged into one, a flood of newbie players began pouring out of the village gates.
“It’s the Giant Slime!”
“Lucky us!”
Beating up a Giant Slime was far more efficient for skill proficiency than hammering away at training dummies.
“This is perfect; I needed skill points anyway.”
“Sweet!”
Three hours of attacking a Giant Slime could yield the same results as 30 hours of hitting a dummy.
Watching the swarm of players, Rian grew slightly tense.
Is it really that strong?
Was it powerful enough to warrant such a large-scale gathering of players?
Meanwhile, countless slimes continued merging, growing larger and larger.
Rian gripped his wooden sword tightly.
It felt like a real adventure was finally beginning.
Time to level up so I can use my basic skill.
Rian began unleashing Instant Kill on every slime he could see.
Click!
His lightning-fast battojutsu left no room for the eye to follow.
[You have defeated a Green Slime.]
Click!
[You have defeated a Green Slime.]
Click!
Click!
Click!
Through his hunts, Rian realized that defeating Red Slimes yielded the fastest leveling results.
Red Slimes were typically Level 3 to 5.
In cases where their level exceeded Rian’s and Instant Kill didn’t work, he used his fire-elemental swordsmanship to take them down.
“What’s with that guy?”
“Is he trolling the newbies?”
“Won’t this delay the Giant Slime from forming?”
A few players approached Rian, asking why he was interfering with the Giant Slime event.
Their words went unanswered.
Feeling annoyed, the newbies frowned.
“He’s ignoring us.”
“What a jerk.”
“Ugh, so rude.”
It wasn’t that Rian was deliberately ignoring them—he was simply too focused to hear them.
[Your level has increased.]
[Current Level: 5.]
Level 5!
The Giant Slime’s level was 5.
He had met the conditions to use his basic skill.
But will Instant Kill actually work?
Although Rian had practiced the skill consistently on straw dummies, he wasn’t entirely confident.
He had little to no real combat experience.
“Is he seriously going to interfere?”
“That would be crossing the line. High-level players attacking the Giant Slime is way out of bounds.”
“The rules are there for a reason.”
The Giant Slime was an event boss meant for beginners.
Even reckless high-level players adhered to the unspoken code of conduct, knowing better than to ruin events for new players.
“Oh, don’t worry. That got patched.”
“What patch?”
“Only players under Level 10 can attack the Giant Slime now.”
“Oh, good. That’s a relief.”
Hearing this, the players felt reassured.
That wooden-sword-wielding weirdo, prancing around using magic, wouldn’t be able to interfere.
The Giant Slime was almost fully formed now.
It towered over the field like a small hill, gazing down at the humans with disdain.
Now’s my chance.
Rian instinctively sensed that the Giant Slime was letting its guard down.
Why aren’t they attacking?
It seemed like the perfect moment to strike, yet everyone was just standing around waiting.
The freshly formed Giant Slime let out a strange roar and continued growing.
Intimidating…
The sheer size of the monster, combined with the unfamiliarity of facing it, was daunting.
Gulp.
Rian swallowed hard.
This was his first time confronting such a massive creature, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, he prepared himself.
“What’s he doing?”
“Leave him be. His attacks won’t land anyway.”
While some newbies sneered at him, others openly mocked Rian.
“Go on, attack! Let’s see what you’ve got!”
“Bet you can’t even touch it! Patched, remember?”
“Stop being such a jerk, old-timer! Don’t you remember being a newbie once?”
But none of their words reached Rian.
Fully focused, he was in the zone, ready to test his skills in a real fight.
If Instant Kill didn’t work, he was prepared to collaborate with the Immortals around him to bring the monster down.
[Activating unique ability, Instant Kill.]
Click!
Rian unsheathed his sword slightly, then slid it back into place.
“Did it work?”