I wasted too much time focusing on how bad this situation is looking for me.
While I was doing that, I could hear light footsteps walking past me every few minutes.
It started to dawn on me that I might as well sneak away and find monsters to slay. There's a leveling system, so I might as well make some use of it while I can. I can't fight something that is probably more than ten levels higher than me while I'm stuck at level one. It wouldn't make sense, and it would be me running recklessly into my death when I've only been here for probably around five hours at most.
While this would put my plan to a halt, it'll be worth it in the long run since I'll be more prepared.
I'll need to find something better so I can ditch this stupid sword.
I decided to open up my skills menu. I realized that instead of seeing everything at once, I can just pull up whatever part of the screen I need with a thought.
SKILLS:
Craftsman D LVL 1 : Acquired after creating a weapon or armor piece. At LVL 1, the item's rank will vary between rank E and D. The likelihood of the item breaking while crafting is 90%. At higher levels, the rarity of created items will increase, and weapon breakage will be less likely.
NEXT LVL: 10/50 EXP
Mace Proficiency E LVL 1 : Acquired after killing an opponent with a mace. The user will gain a 5% damage increase. At higher levels, damage percentage will increase.
NEXT LVL: 5/20 EXP
It seems like different skills need different amounts of EXP.
If I really want to get better at crafting, I'll need to use it more often so that I can reduce the chance of my weapons breaking during creation.
Oh!
I wonder if the level will still go up even if I fail.
If all I make are junk items, it won't matter, since I'm still trying to make something.
It doesn't say anything about this, but I guess the amount of EXP you get depends on what you're trying to make. Even if I get a little bit of EXP for making something small, I'll take it. At least I'll be a little closer to leveling up. Plus, maybe I'll get something else out of it when I do get it to level two.
I picked up some pebbles and string from the spider nest in the corner.
Oh, and no, I didn't get any EXP for killing the spiders. I just kept getting zeros. But, when I got rid of them all, I was able to get some string out of each spider aside from the nest itself.
I pulled out the fang and ear I got from killing that Goblin.
The thing I wanted to make is a necklace. I probably won't use it unless the effect is good enough. Then again, that's just me hoping that it does make through the crafting process.
Well, no time like the present.
Just when I was about to start putting things together, the voice came back.
「Would you like to use the the Craftsman skill?」
Huh?
Do I not need to do it all by hand now? Well, it probably won't be instantaneous. It might just be taking out the middleman, that being the manual labor, and all I need to do is wait.
Well, only one way to know sure.
"Yes." I whispered. I didn't want to just blurt it out and have the monsters come my way and kill me.
The materials began to glow, and come together in a quick flash of light.
I hope no one saw that.
「Crafting time is 10 minutes. Chance of item breakage is 90%.」
As long as I get EXP for trying, I'll be happy.
I was about to just wait for the crafting to finish, but I will just be wasting time if I do.
Going back to my new plan, I waited for the last Goblin to walk past the cell.
Right when I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore, I slipped out of the room, and quietly made my way down the hallway, then took a left.
After a while, I was around twenty feet or so away from the Goblins.
I put the crafting materials into my pocket. Just me walking away from the band of monsters shaved off a minute and a half from the timer.
There was a lot more to this prison than I thought.
The more I walked through the halls, the more paths that lead to other places.
What kind of prison is this?
It didn't look like a prison for monsters. Not all monsters have the same look to them. Every cell had a bed in itm
Could this have been a prison for humans? Why are there monsters everywhere?
Obviously, the place has become overrun. But has anyone tried to, I dunno, "exterminate" the place? If it's only Goblins and Hobgoblins, I'm sure that some competent adventurers could raid the place and get rid of all the monsters in no time.
Then again, there might be something more to it.
Could there be a monster that is stronger than a Hobgoblin?
*Gulp.*
I was nowhere close to being able to fight a Hobgoblin, so I'm not even going to think about fighting anything stronger than THAT.
Whatever, I'll focus on obtaining more skills and raising my level.
I should focus on grinding until at least level ten.
And my second objective is to get another weapon. Just need a strong looking sword.
I hope I'm lucky enough to just find one lying on the ground.
And, if it's not something like a Hobgoblin, I should be able to kill lower level monsters and take their weapons with my mace.
Hmm, still got seven minutes left.
I should start finding monsters soon. It'll pass the time.
Without the Goblins around, I started running through the old halls of the prison. It really looked like it was on its last legs, one bad shake and it could fall apart.
While I was running, I felt something whip past my shoulder.
"What the hell?"
I stopped myself and turned around.
It hit the ground and rolled down the hall.
Is that. . .
An arrow?
I turned back to see if I could make out anything that could have fired that at me.
The torches along the wall helped make out bits and pieces of it.
Whatever it was, it did not look alive.
It's exposed skin appeared rotted and gray. It's bones were exposed, and they looked to be on the verge of snapping off at any second.
Finally, it walked into the light. It was just like my first encounter with the Goblin. Except, it was already aiming for me again, with a bow in hand with an arrow ready to be fired.
UNDEAD ARCHER LVL 3
HP: 50/50 (100%)
The name, level, and HP appeared above its head like before.
Unlike last time, I already untied my sword from my back, and grabbed the hilt. I also grabbed the mace.
The Undead Archer fired the arrow.
My eyes widened as I saw the arrow come right for me.
Something forced me to bring my sword up instead of dodging. I knocked the arrow out of the air. It hit the wall and landed on the ground.
What the hell was that?
No, there's no time to be thinking about what is going on. I have to win this fight. I still don't have much in terms of armor, so I can't let a single arrow hit me.
The archer is already getting ready to fire again.
I ran for it. I can't die here. So, there's no time to hesitate. Not even for a moment.
It was around ten feet away from my position. I was a pretty fast runner back when I was alive on Earth. It seems I still retain that trait as I was already closing the distance rather quickly.
I swung my mace, smashing it into the face of the Archer.
HP: 20/50 (40%)
Not dead yet, huh?
Actually, wait, he's already dead. Hold on, that doesn't matter right now, damn it! I can't be second guessing myself here. This could be good for me, actually.
It fell to the ground, and it was slowly trying to get back up already. I pushed it back down with my foot. It made a groan, and it tried to reach for its bow and bundle of arrows.
This is it!
With all my might, I swung my sword at its neck. Even though it's edge wasn't the best, the brittle bones and already torn flesh of the Undead made it easy to cut right through its neck.
EXP: 110 Points
TOTAL EXP: 125/100
+1 Wooden Bow
+10 Arrows
+5 Bones
+1 Undead Flesh
+1 Old Leather Chestplate
「You have leveled up. You are now level two.」
「New Skills acquired. You have learned Sword Proficiency E LVL 1 and Fighting Instinct C LVL 1 .」
Huh.
Wasn't expecting to get two skills out of that. Kinda cool.
「Would you like a description of your newly acquired skills?」
"Uh. . . sure."
As soon as I said that, the skill menu popped up.
SKILLS:
Sword Proficiency E LVL 1 : Acquired after killing an opponent with a sword. The user will gain a 10% damage increase when wielding a sword. At higher levels, the percentage boost will increase and sword techniques will be unlocked.
NEXT LVL: 5/100 EXP
Fighting Instinct C LVL 1 : Acquired after fighting an opponent entirely through instinct. Even without proper training, the user will be able to fight competently. In addition, the user will automatically counter an attack in relation to their stats.
NEXT LVL: 9/50 EXP
Hmm. . . these seem to be pretty good skills.
I liked the sound of the Fighting Instinct skill. Seemed really useful. It's weird, though. I expected some of these skills to require MP, but none have needed it so far. Maybe it's exclusive to magic spells? I won't know until I learn some spells.
I finally leveled up to level two. After I did, my EXP count went from 125/100 to 25/150. While it didn't look like it would take that long to level up again, I doubt that it'll keep going up by fifty. There's obviously going to be some sort of threshold I'll meet where the amount of EXP I need can go from one-thousand points to four-thousand and five-hundred points. I'll have to be aware of that.
My attention went toward the drops. I wasn't interested in the flesh, but I grabbed the bones.
The bow and arrows, though? Yeah, I'm definitely taking that.
But the thing I was most excited for was the armor. Finally, I have something to wear and protect myself.
While it looked pretty small on the Undead Archer, it actually fit me pretty well. The leather padding seemed thick enough to protect me against arrows and blades. It may be old, but looks pretty decent regardless.
[ ITEM: OLD LEATHER CHESTPLATE ]
[ RARITY: D-RANK ]
↳ +15 DEF.
↳ "Starting adventurers used this armor to protect themselves while in training. Even against the test of time, it retains its toughness."
I slipped the sheet over the armor after I put it on.
The arrows were held in a little pouch which I could strap to my belt via some string I bound together.
My sword was once again tied to my back, along with my new bow. I tested how quickly I could whip out the bow and get an arrow ready to fire.
By the time I was finished training my reflexes, the crafting was done.
「Crafting has been successful. Goblin Necklace has been crafted.」
[ ITEM: GOBLIN NECKLACE ]
[ RARITY: D ]
↳ +10% Damage and +10% Defense against the Goblin species.
↳ "The Goblin Necklace is an item traditionally worn by rookie adventurers to kill and protect themselves against the Goblin species."
So, making equipment from monsters gives you buffs against them. Cool. I like that idea. This means that if I make something out of parts from an Undead, then I can do increased damage against them. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Well. I have better equipment now. I should be able to grind a little easier now.