Chapter 2
Well&h.e.l.lip; I was able to finish this much faster than I expected lol. I guess it’s cause this chapter was shorter that the prologue, but yeah, hopefully I’ll be able to keep this pace up. Thanks for reading~
With my sweat covered body, I sprang out of bed, feeling extremely unpleasant for some reason.
"Haa, haa, haa, is it that dream again?" (Keare) (TL Note: Just in case you didn't realize, 'haa' is him deep breathing, not laughing.)
It's a dream where I, of all the people they could have chosen, fight as a hero to subjugate the demon king. I don't remember how many times I've seen that dream, but I know my position as a person, and I know I would never be able to become a hero.
"Oh, the sun's already rising?" (Keare)
Looking through the window, I noticed that the sun had started rising; it's just the right time to wake up, after this I'll go to work. Changing from my nightwear, I put on my clothes for the day and start biting into an apple that was on top of my desk. This was my daily routine.
After picking up my big basket, I sling the strap of my pouch, which holds my work tools, onto my shoulder.
"Father, mother, I'll be going now" (Keare)
I mutter out of habit while not expecting a reply. My parents are already dead, and were killed by monsters.
I walk out of my house, going out into the village that I grew up in. My village is split up in to three different sections; the commercial area, the residential area and the agricultural area. The residential area has a waterway that stretches around it, and is filled with green scenery. From there, I start moving towards the agricultural area.
Although I was all by myself, without a single relative, my parents left behind their house and apple orchard. Thanks to that, I was able to live on and make a living by being an apple farmer. After arriving at the orchard, I noticed that it was time to harvest.
"It's finally time to harvest huh" (Keare)
Looking at the apples growing on the trees, I happily grinned to myself in self-satisfaction and took out the basket. It seems like with this, I won't be starving to death yet. I climb the tress, picking off the apples that look good and putting them into my basket.
However, for some reason, even while I'm doing this, I still feel weirdly disturbed. A voice is resounding inside of my heart; is it fine living like this? Isn't there something more I should be doing? Is it fine to not be getting stronger?
"It is still too early to think about it when my cla.s.s hasn't even been awakened" (Keare)
When humans become the age of 14, they are officially considered an adult and awaken to their own cla.s.s. Depending on each cla.s.s, different parameters get strengthened accordingly, but people without cla.s.ses aren't even able to fight properly.
On top of that, depending on the cla.s.s you get, you can get special skills that only people from that cla.s.s can get. For example, if your cla.s.s was a warrior, then you have the potential of getting really good at the sword, and it is easier to raise your warrior proficiency level. On the other hand, a magician is incapable of getting a warrior skill and vice versa.
Although you can train and swing your sword every day, you will be no match for someone with a warrior cla.s.s. This is because without a cla.s.s, you have no attack speed, strength or speed parameter adjustments.
There is another seven days until my fourteenth birthday, and I have already decided my plan, depending on what cla.s.s I get. If I get a good cla.s.s, I plan to leave this town and go on an adventure, but if I get a weak cla.s.s, I plan to continue living as an apple farmer.
Currently, it is the harvesting period for the apples, the period of time where my year of effort turns into money. Even if I go on an adventure, I will have plenty of money to do so; while holding this small hope within me, I diligently continue to pick the apples.
By the time I had finished collecting enough apples, the sun has started to set. Just when I had decided to turn in for the day, I heard a loud scream. I immediately ran towards the direction
"Did the demons cross the walls to come here!?" (Keare)
Looking at the monster, I raise a shout in surprise. There was a boar type monster which was attacking the surrounding people. It had short legs and a hard looking rock carapace, protecting its body. There was no way that we, simple farmers, could do anything about that kind of monster.
The farmers were adults who were cla.s.s holders, but their cla.s.ses weren't combat based, so they became farmers to support themselves. On top of that, they didn't even try to level up their cla.s.ses; it would be useless to even try something against that monster. After a while, the vigilante corps will surely come to kill it, however&h.e.l.lip;
"Anna-san" (Keare)
I recognized a familiar face of the person that lent a helping hand towards me after hearing of my parent's death. She, who was married but didn't have a child, treated me as if I were her own, and always took good care of me. Unfortunately, that very person who took care of me is stumbling and is late at evacuating. As every second pa.s.ses, the boar is slowly catching up to her, and at this rate, she will be devoured by the monster.
Even if I go, it would be useless; it isn't that I don't have a combat cla.s.s, but I don't even have a cla.s.s to boost my stats in the first place.
No, that's not true. Why do I fear a monster of that level? Status isn't the only thing that can make you strong; knowledge is also another form of power.
The voice that always urges me to become stronger resounds in my head. However, the strength put into that voice was louder than usual, and I had started das.h.i.+ng towards the monster by the next moment.
For some reason, I had knowledge of that monster. That monster was not a boar, but a rock maul, which is a mole type monster. Therefore, it was probably able to bypa.s.s the walls by digging under it.
The rock maul had one fatal weakness, which was that their eyes were degenerated and was hardly able to see anything. This meant that it had to rely on its Eimer's (TL Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eimer’s_organ) organ which was right on the tip of its nose to sense the vibrations from the ground and find its prey.
To not weaken that organ which acts as a sensor, it is the only place that was not covered in rock and was the only fragile spot. And then&h.e.l.lip;
"Haaaaaaa!" (Keare)
I was sprinting and jumping towards the monster using my maximum speed; if the rock maul uses vibrations on the ground to sense its prey, then all you need to do is be in the air and they won't be able to sense you. I jumped, onto the neck of the giant boar, no, rock maul, and clung onto it tightly. Until this moment, he was unable to sense me. (TL Note: &h.e.l.lip; Oi. You're saying that the rock maul which has relied on this sensory organ for all his life was unable to sense this guy who was running like a madman?) Using my work knife, I pierced his Eimer's organ, which was on his unprotected nose.
"Kyuiiiiiiiiiiii!" (Rock Maul)
The rock maul starts rampaging, and I get shoved off easily. Glaring at his nose, I tell myself that with my current status, the best I can do is to wound him, and I wouldn't be able to kill it. I obviously can't do anything about it if I tried my best yet couldn't kill it, so I clench my teeth to hold back the desire to kill it.
My objective was to save that woman, yet why did I try to defeat that monster? Well, hurry up and save her.
An amazed voice comes out from inside of me, and I leave the area, panickingly head toward Anna-san to help her escape. The rock maul is still rampaging around everywhere, but neither Anna-san nor I have been in the range of its attacks.
"Keare-kun, uh- um, thank you. But was it fine to anger that monster?" (Anna)
"Don't worry, that monster can't see anything so it's safe." (Keare)
Having its only sensory organ damaged, there is no way it could find us. And just that is fine, my purpose is not to kill it, but to save Anna-san; which has just been achieved. Now all that's left is to let the vigilante corps kill it and it'll all be fine.
Afterwards, the vigilante corps who had combat related cla.s.ses came over and beat the rock maul for us. I was praised by everyone for helping Anna-san, but got scolded by that very person since I was being too rash.
However, my heart was strangely cold and I myself do not think that I was being too rash, as if it was only natural to be able to do something like that. Even though it was supposed to be my first fight with a monster, I was strangely calm.
Is there some relation to the dreams I have every day of me fighting as a hero? As I started to think about this, the voice that I heard when I fought the rock maul started to speak up inside of me.
Become strong, trust no one. I know the method to becoming stronger. Countless adventurers' experiences and wise people's knowledge are all inside of me. Using all of their knowledge, become stronger by even just one second; first off, earn an eye, the eye of the spirit, and the eye of all creation.
What is this&h.e.l.lip; this is the first time that I've ever heard the voice this clear.
"What exactly is this anyways?" (Keare)
My feet move naturally by itself and I somehow 'knew'. There is a connection point to the spirit world in the woods near the village, where I can get a hold of a contract agreement with a spirit and where I can get the world's best eye. All I need to be able to do is to be able to speak the ancient words and chant the ritual to form a contract with a spirit.
Just like when I fought the rock mall, for some reason, I 'knew'. I also know that the strongest connection period will be in 5 days, and if I miss it, I'll have to wait another 34 years.
It's crazy if you think about it with common sense, but I was unable to ignore it. I feel like if I ignore it, I will lose everything and felt a threatening voice saying that being weak is a sin.
If you can just obtain the eye, you will remember everything. I cannot afford to repeat this all, I will definitely to lead a happier life this time.
I start feeling impatient. I feel like if I go there, if I get the eyes of the spirit, then I'll be able to understand everything. Grabbing a few apples and stuffing it into my bag, I leave town and break into a run towards a place that I shouldn't know of, with only the clothes on my back.
And I realized, I seemed to be laughing. I see&h.e.l.lip; I was looking forward to it huh. I was looking forward to arriving at the place that this voice tells me to go. Now then, let's go, to retrieve back the true me.