If There's an Underling, Watch Out for a Boss! (2)

Do you know what's excellent about forests? It's because the air is fresh and cool. You would feel the greatness of nature as you walked along the shrubbery and hear the crunchy dried leaves under your feet.

*Bam!* *Squelch!*

Also, it's a great way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the busy cityscape. All the artificial noises from cars, television, and radio can't be heard as long as you've wandered deep enough.

*Squelch!* *Splat!*

Me? I'm just strolling lightly right now, enjoying the scenery and the occasional visitors rushing to attack. Right, just like this thing before me.

[

You have slain Lv. 2 Giant Mantis!

You earned 10 experience points!

You earned the skill Hide Lv. 1!

It is now 30% harder to find you when you are hiding!

You earned the battle mastery for Blunt Weapons Lv. 1!

Your swing is now 30% faster!

Your damage when using blunt weapons is increased by 20%!

You have earned the skill Smash Lv. 1!

]

Neat! With just my first hunt, I managed to earn three skills! Spending my time gathering all those badges and titles really does pay off! Why did I get the Hide skill? That's because the first hit was a surprise attack, with me hidden behind the shadow of a large tree. I guess the system took that into consideration and gave me the Hide skill as a bonus.

"I also heard about skills like dismantling and crafting... Let me try them."

The monster, a mantis about as large as a dog, was lying before me with its head smashed into a pulp. Well, I did batter it several times with my sledgehammer after all.

Looking around its body, nothing but the claws were of any value. I took the folding knife that I always carry in my pocket and cut the scythe-like claws from the elbow joints. It took me a bit of effort as the muscles were a little tough, but I still managed to take it out.

[

You earned the skill Dismantling Lv. 1!

You can move your hands more dexterously when dismantling.

]

As expected! The skill was that easy to acquire.

"Now, for the finishing touches..."

While keeping vigilance over the surroundings, I used the scythes and a suitably thick and wieldable branch that I picked up randomly, together with a few vines that were within arm's reach, to create a makeshift weapon.

[

You successfully created Crude Mantis Scythes!

You have earned the skill Crafting Lv. 1!

You can now craft things more easily.

]

"That's five skills down! This is too easy."

I muttered as I hung the scythe on my back. It's basically useless after all, as there were only vines holding the two pieces together. When I get home, I'll probably work on it and create a much more suitable form of weapon.

As I stood up again, holding the sledgehammer covered in green blood, I could hear the rustling of the shrubs to my right. Without hesitation, I quickly turned away from the noise and jumped back. As I did, two slashes came down at my previous location. It was an attack from the same species as before, a Giant Mantis.

As I landed, wielding the sledgehammer in my hand, I slammed it straight down on its head. However, since the enemy was able to see my actions, it quickly dodged to the side before launching another attack.

"These mantises are definitely idiots. They both fell for the same trick!"

As my sledgehammer smashed the ground, it managed to hit a dry branch that was scattered around. The branch was, with the principle of leverage, flicked upwards, sending the mantis from the forest floor up in the air.

These mantises were no longer able to fly, so even if they flapped their film-like wings, they wouldn't be able to move much. Like a batter going for a home run, I pulled the sledgehammer once again and slammed it to the right.

The mantis was hit at the center of its body and smashed against the trunk of a nearby tree. Green blood splashed around as it quickly lost signs of life.

[

You have slain Lv. 2 Giant Mantis!

You earned 10 experience points!

]

This time, however, the notification was shorter. Other than the experience gained, nothing else followed. I guess I can't get skills like candy after all. Well, five skills are already more than I could manage right now. It's fine. It's fine.

After killing it, I quickly moved to dismantle its scythes and create another makeshift weapon. This time, I tried making two daggers. Although they're still ranked crude, they increased the proficiency of my crafting skill by one level.

[

You successfully created Crude Mantis Daggers!

You earned 50 skill experience points!

Crafting was upgraded to Lv. 2!

]

After that, I continued hunting for about 2 and a half hours. I encountered a monster once every two to five minutes, which was a pretty high pace for a normal day. About half of what I encountered was the same Giant Mantis, with a few other giant insects mixed in. Thanks to that, though, my five skills have leveled up nicely.

Although I have yet to reach level 2, I should be reaching it soon. My hiding skill reached level 5, Smash reached level 3, and Blunt Weapon Mastery reached level 4. Also, both Dismantling and Crafting skills reached level 3, which was a pretty nice pace.

Since I didn't want to get locked inside the forest, I quickly ran back the way I came. Of course, I didn't forget to leave markers on the trees to ensure that I wouldn't get lost. It took me around ten minutes to get out of the forest without any further monster encounters.

"...?"

Just as I got out, however, I felt a strange gaze on my back. I instantly turned to the forest again and squinted my eyes, my sledgehammer ready, but found nothing there.

"Weird... Was it my imagination?"

Anyway, it was almost 6 p.m. and the guards were already preparing to leave. As soon as I came out of the forest, the other guard quickly opened the gate and waved towards me, as if telling me to get out quickly.

After reaching them and saying my thanks, I rushed back home. I guess since I was feeling great and had gained a lot with just a short outing, I didn't even feel the distance from the hunting ground to our house.

"I'm back!"

As soon as I reached home, I shouted from the entrance as I removed my shoes. I already left the sledgehammer and the scythes (I only kept the first two crafted weapons and left the rest I made on-site) inside the garage. I'll work on them after dinner, creating a better weapon for tomorrow.

"Welcome back~!"

Mother's happy voice echoed from inside the kitchen, which was just across the entrance on the right side. She peeked over and quickly frowned, however, as she saw what I looked like.

"... Take a bath, right now."

Her stern voice made me look at myself in a hurry. My entire wardrobe was covered in green monster blood. It wasn't smelly, but it did feel a bit icky with my jersey completely turning from sky blue to green.

"T-This is because of the sledgehammer! No, never mind..."

Even if I tried to explain that I was covered in blood because using the sledgehammer splashed their bodily fluids all around, it wouldn't change the fact that I look disgusting right now. I resigned myself and tiptoed towards the bathroom. I took off my clothes, stuffed them inside the washer, and quickly took a warm shower.

After getting refreshed from a long and warm bath, I went out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen. On the table, tons of food were placed.

"... Do we have a visitor or something?"

Right now, it should be only me and my mom staying in the house. Both my dad and my sister were currently out, similarly for work reasons, and said that they'd return in the afternoon on Sunday.

"Did Dad come home or something?"

I looked around but didn't find traces of him. Neither was my sister, who was a loudmouth inside the house, anywhere nearby.

"This is to celebrate you for finally deciding to start your level-up journey!"

Mother said with a sweet smile as she brought out a steamy hotpot, filled to the brim with vegetables and expensive-looking slices of meat. I gulped at the sight as my stomach, pretty empty since I didn't eat much during lunch, raised a glorious growl.

"Pfft, you must be really hungry. Come, let's eat!"

My mother laughed at me after hearing my lively display of hunger. I did as told and sat down, looking around and choosing what to try first.

That night, I ate until I felt so full that I was about to throw up. Mother just watched me with a warm smile the whole time, making me wonder when she plans to eat. After the little feast, I went to my room and lay down on my bed.

"... I'll fix the weapons early tomorrow morning."

Unable to move at all after eating too much, I closed my eyes and slept.