"Ah, that's a sign of a lively opponent."
As we were talking, the slime, impatient, charged at us.
But something felt off. It was clearly faster than the Earlier slime, its movements unpredictable.
A chill ran down my spine. Instantly, I readied my wrench and took a defensive stance. However, the charge smashed into my guard, sending me crashing into a tree.
"Wait... isn't that way too strong? It took a huge chunk of my HP with just one hit...and it really hurt..."
"L-L-Lenny!"
I completely panicked, my HP flickering like a dying flame after that blow.
Ivy, flustered, suddenly started shouting and ran toward me, shoving something into my mouth.
"It's an herbal medicine! Please eat it! Are you feeling better? Are you feeling better?"
"N-no... stop... this is so bitter..."
Damn, what did she just make me eat? It wasn't just bitter; it was unbearable. My mouth felt like it was tingling.
But surprisingly, my body felt incredibly revitalized. The pain from Earlier had vanished as if it were a lie. Herbal medicine truly is a traveler's essential.
But I couldn't afford to think like that now. The slime was preparing for its second attack.
"Whoa! Is this thing trying to kill us?!"
"Lenny! Of course, it's trying to kill us!"
Ivy and I were drenched in sweat, desperately dodging the slime's body slams. Even Ivy, with her combat skills, seemed powerless against this quick and powerful creature.
What the heck is this thing? Is it some vengeful spirit of the slimes we killed before? I wished for their peaceful rest, for crying out loud—give me a break!
Now, how do we get out of this nightmare? Honestly, it felt like there was no hope. If things kept going this way, we'd be tortured to death.
Even in a game world, I hated the idea of pain, and dying was out of the question. More than anything, I didn't want to look pathetic in front of Ivy any longer.
I grabbed Ivy's wrist and slowly started to back away. At this point, our only option was to look for a chance to escape. It felt humiliating, but it was a hundred times better than being on the receiving end of a slaughter. The real question was whether the slime would let us get away…
The slime locked onto us again and lunged with another body slam. Not good—if I couldn't even evade it, escape was out of the question.
What do I do… what do I do…?
"What's going on with these two crafting classes right in the middle of Dan John's arena?"
Just as I stood frozen, unable to think of any way out, a shadow suddenly crossed our path, slicing through the slime like a gust of wind. In an instant, the enemy burst apart into sparkling particles of light and vanished before our eyes.
Ivy and I stood there, utterly stunned. What had just happened was so sudden that we couldn't comprehend it.
But then, we noticed the lightly armored female swordsman standing before us. Realization dawned: we had been saved. Her garb was a blend of black and purple, and she carried no shield. Surely, she was a swordsman, but she seemed remarkably nimble for one.
Considering she had taken down that slime in a single strike, it was clear her level far surpassed ours. She was likely a year or two older, too. Ivy and I bowed our heads respectfully.
"Thank you for saving us," I said.
"Uh... thank you!" Ivy added.
"You're welcome. But if you're planning to gather materials, you should really upgrade your gear. This looks like starting equipment," she remarked.
Starting equipment—she was right. We had to traverse this forest to reach the first town, and enhancing our gear seemed impossible right now. What on earth was she talking about? I couldn't make sense of it at all.
"Of course it's starting equipment. We just logged in for the first time today," I explained.
"Huh? You're brave to dive straight into Dungeon John without even visiting the town first. Is this some kind of challenge play?"
Something felt off; the conversation didn't add up. Was it possible to reach the town without going through the forest? I slowly started piecing together the truth: maybe, just maybe, there was no town waiting for us beyond this forest.
I cautiously turned to the woman and asked, "Um... if we get through this forest, we'll reach a town, right?"
"...Huh?"
She let out a loud sigh and pulled out a map from her satchel, carefully explaining, "Listen… this is the starting point, the Seradon Plains. To the east is the starting town, Epinare. And this spot here is the Ebony Forest to the west…"
Her hands trembled as she shouted, "You've got it all backwards! The town is to the east! This is west! How could you make such a mistake?!"
"Oh dear~?"
"You two are hopelessly clueless!"
I had a vague sense of what was coming, but Ivy's expert act was all bluster. I understood the urge to show off when meeting total beginners seeking help; I could laugh it off.
"Still, why didn't you run? Don't you understand the level difference?"
"Well, I thought beating the red slime would earn us bonus points…"
"The red slime is a superior species to the blue slime! What do you mean 'bonus'? Are you confusing it with a ***metal creature***?"
Sorry, Ivy, I was wrong too. We're both a bit foolish here!
However, it was astonishing. Our actions had been entirely misguided. Moving forward and continuing to journey together would be incredibly dangerous.
I would have preferred that the woman before me offer help, but she didn't seem inclined to do so.
"I really can't deal with this..."
I couldn't bring myself to stop her as she turned to leave. However, unlike me, Ivy was bold.
"Um... excuse me! We're completely at a loss here... and we would really appreciate it if you could accompany us to the city..."
Well said, Ivy. Your bravery always comes through for us.
Hearing her words, the woman turned to Ivy, her mouth forming a thin line. She furrowed her brow, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hmm, now that I think about it, you two are beginners, right? I suppose you're not even part of a guild."
"We don't know anything about guilds at all. We're total newcomers."
"Ah, I see, and on top of that, you're in a production class..."
The woman continued to mull things over. Eventually, it seemed she reached some kind of conclusion, and her demeanor suddenly changed.
"Are you both okay? No injuries? To get lost in the Forest must be quite distressing! Let me help you get to the city!"
"Wow, you've become surprisingly kind all of a sudden..."
It felt suspicious. Clearly, something was off. I couldn't shake the thought that there was an ulterior motive.
However, at that moment, I felt desperate for any assistance. We needed to escape this forest first and foremost. So, we decided to comply with her instructions.
"I'm Violet, and our destination is the bustling city of Epinal!"
With that, we set off towards the city alongside the swordswoman Violet. But this woman suddenly seemed to be in high spirits. She clearly had a temperamental personality, fluctuating between emotions. Though she was older than us in both age and experience, I couldn't help but wonder if she had what it took to lead us, inexperienced as we were. My heart was heavy with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
Leaving Ebony Forest behind, we made our way back to the Celadon Plains. According to Violet, Ebony Forest was said to be home to a witch, and we were nowhere near the recommended level for that area. Thankfully, we had faced relatively weak Red Slimes, or else we likely would have been done for. We were truly lucky.
Under Violet's guidance, I engaged in fierce battles against Goblins in the plains. I blocked their club attacks with my wrench, then forcefully sent them flying. When they staggered, I delivered a crushing blow to their heads with my massive wrench.
As the fight concluded, the defeated enemies dissolved into particles of light, vanishing from sight. I was relieved it wasn't a grotesque spectacle. By defeating them, I gained experience points, filling my gauge and leveling up to a well-deserved Level 2.
"Lenny, we did it! Now we're both Level 2!" Violet exclaimed, her excitement infectious.
"The road ahead is long..."
After just one battle, I was left battered and bruised. If I continued leveling up at this rate, I would never have enough time. Most importantly, I couldn't keep up with the physical demands.
As we walked toward the city, we discussed the skill points I had gained from leveling up. Violet, who was well-experienced, patiently explained everything to me, a beginner.
"Alright, you've earned 3 skill points now."
"Skill points?"
"This game doesn't have a traditional stat allocation system. Essentially, a swordsman is a swordsman, and a mage is a mage with fixed stats. Instead, you have skill points. You gain 3 skill points each time you level up, and you can freely allocate them to your skills."
I checked my skills. Three were randomly selected, and I had two that came with my initial class as an engineer. So, I had these five skills in total.
"My skills are[Defense Up],[Status Resistance Up],[Production Success Rate Up],[Invention], and[Mechanical Production]. I can allocate my points to strengthen any of these, right?"
"Close. Skill points can only be assigned to passive skills. Skills like[Invention] or[Mechanical Production] need to be improved through actual use."
In other words, it looked like I could only enhance the three skills I had received through random selection this time.
With numerous options for skill upgrades available to me, this becomes an essential factor. If there's even a hint of uncertainty, I need to actively inquire further.
"But with this system, production roles are at a disadvantage, right? If you don't level up through combat, you can't enhance skills like [Production Success Rate Up]."
"That's not a problem. You can gain experience not just from combat but also from successful production. So, it's entirely possible to reach high levels through production alone."
"So, you're saying that while making healing potions, I could unexpectedly become really strong? Doesn't that seem a bit off?"
"That's just how the system is designed. It's probably a measure against player-killers (PKs). If production roles, which lack combat abilities, become easy prey for PKs, it would disrupt the balance."
"I see."
It seems thoughtful adjustments have been made for balance. Likely, there are no weak jobs or skills in this game. Everything is finely calculated to minimize advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, if I focus on my preferred skills, the results will naturally reveal themselves.
Without hesitation, I funneled all my points into a single skill.
"Alright, then I'll put all in [Status Ailment Resistance Up]."
As I allocated all three points to [Status Ailment Resistance Up], my job level rose to 2.
"This is good. Although this skill was chosen randomly, I really like it. I could even focus on strengthening it moving forward.
Violet looked at me with a curious expression. It seemed this approach was not very common.
"You picked an interesting skill," she said. "It's usually better suited for party healers—the ones responsible for recovery. If they go down, it can be a huge setback. I wonder if it's necessary for a mechanic?"
"No, I believe it's appropriate to enhance this skill because it has no risk of failing compared to others," I replied.
"That makes sense."
But there was more to my reasoning.
Status ailments, as opposed to death, can disrupt the entire team. If I become confused, I might attack allies; if I'm poisoned, my teammates would have to rush in to protect me. I found that scenario utterly unacceptable.
I didn't want to drag anyone else down, nor did I want to leave my fate in the hands of others. Honestly, I'd rather die and face game over than deal with that chaos. In short, it was a quirk stemming from my mistrust of those around me.