"Ugh!"
The Frenzy Boar leaps in place, letting out a piercing squeal that echoes through the sky.
Yuu's beast language skills can't decipher what the Frenzy Boar is shouting, but he feels that compared to the sound it made before dying, this one is far more tragic and desperate…
Maybe it's just his imagination.
Even NPCs lack intelligence—do these level-one mobs understand the pain of an "injured butt"?
While Yuu's mind wanders, the Frenzy Boar turns its head, charging with wild, tragic steps, kicking up dust and grass with its hind legs, and rushing toward him like a bullet shot from a barrel.
Its blood-red eyes, ferocious face, and fairly realistic collision impact—if it were a timid person, they might freeze in fear or swing their weapon wildly with eyes closed, only to be mauled to death by the Frenzy Boar.
The overly high realism has its downsides. At the very least, this game isn't suitable for kids or cute, petite girls like Sora who'd collapse easily.
Yuu starts recording again. He slowly draws his one-handed sword back, leaning forward, staring directly at the approaching Frenzy Boar, murmuring softly:
"Scapula meat, thigh meat, tenderloin, neck meat, cheek meat, braised pork leg…"
Though his body is virtual, his sharp gaze, perfect muscle control, enhanced reaction speed, and expert-level swordsmanship blend seamlessly, giving him the confidence to face the Frenzy Boar.
In the blink of an eye, those blood-red eyes appear right in front of him.
A gust of wind makes his clothes flutter wildly, and Yuu slowly exhales, then stomps one foot into the ground.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!*
The next second, two sword flashes slice through the Frenzy Boar's body, like shadows vanishing instantly.
First the neck, then the heart. After piercing both points with absolute precision, Yuu turns to look at the Frenzy Boar that just passed him.
Wounds that might be fatal in the real world now only leave two glowing red marks on the blue-furred Frenzy Boar's body.
With its health bar, now yellow and in the halfway zone, the Frenzy Boar turns and glares at him angrily, stomping the grass like a bull with its hind legs, then charges again.
"Normal attack damage is really low… Looks like I have to obediently use the system's designated sword skills."
Muttering, Yuu sheathes his sword behind him. As the gust hits his face again, a dark red effect light glows from the 300-col sword.
The basic One-Handed Sword skill.
As they nearly pass each other, Yuu lowers his body, letting the blade lightly slice through the air.
*BUZZ!*
The air emits a faint whine.
This sword slash nearly reaches the system's skill completion limit, so its enhanced power is not to be underestimated.
Moreover, the Frenzy Boar's straightforward charge means Yuu doesn't need to worry about angles—just swing the sword with all his might.
*SWOOSH!*
There's no time to react. The red flash swiftly pierces the Frenzy Boar's body. After leaving a scorched afterimage in the air, it vanishes without a trace amid exploding light fragments.
*Ding ling ling!*
Closing the item drop notification window and the recording function, Yuu sheathes his sword, then glances at his One-Handed Sword skill, which only gained 10 mastery points.
"While farming money and leveling, I also need to raise my One-Handed Sword mastery."
Throwing knives are just a tool. Next, he plans to hunt Frenzy Boars entirely with his one-handed sword.
Raising skill mastery will unlock new sword skills. The more sword skills, the more combos he can perform… Yuu suddenly feels a bit excited. How far can he go mastering this virtual world's sword techniques with his abilities?
For example, defeating a boss without taking a hit.
Isn't playing games about chasing thrills like this? And showing Kouichirou that even in the virtual world, he's not to be underestimated.
Making a quick decision, Yuu narrows his eyes, his unfriendly gaze sweeping over the butts of all the Frenzy Boars in the grasslands outside the city.
Then, with a bright smile, he bends down to pick up pebbles.
For some reason, the Frenzy Boars, happily chewing grass, suddenly feel a chill on their butts and can't help but shiver.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
About an hour later.
"Trash game, the monster spawn rate isn't even as fast as I can clear them."
Grumbling discontentedly, Yuu exits the city. His gear has been upgraded, no longer the simple beginner clothes. His inventory even contains a few recovery potions for emergencies.
Though he didn't lose a single HP during his farming, while wandering the shop area and realizing he had leftover money, he casually bought a few potions. When bored, he could even drink them like beverages.
Don't be fooled—their taste is actually pretty good, with orange, grape, apple flavors…
The virtual world's breeze gently lifts his black bangs, clouds drifting slowly on the distant horizon.
Passing through the clean, quiet grasslands toward a deeper forest, Yuu checks his character panel.
An hour of intense farming has raised his character level to four. His One-Handed Sword mastery has reached 138 points, unlocking a second sword skill.
Compared to the steadily increasing col from selling boar materials, this progress feels a bit slow.
And it's likely to slow down further later. To max out One-Handed Sword mastery at 1000 points, it'll probably take over ten days.
"No rush to clear the whole game anyway, so I'll take it slow."
It's all because the world is too empty, making him unconsciously talk to himself.
Yuu casually tosses an empty potion bottle, letting it shatter into fragments in the air and disappear. He looks up at the slightly eerie, mysterious small forest, then steps in.
Most monsters in the forest are humanoid. There are sword-wielding minotaurs, club-wielding minotaurs, knife-wielding minotaurs…
Their levels are above eight. They can use sword skills, and their movements are more agile and ferocious than Frenzy Boars. For beginners, they're tough opponents.
Thus, Yuu firmly draws his sword, determined that minotaurs must die, and begins upholding his dignity as a pure love warrior.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Half an hour later.
After using the Parallel Slash skill to behead a minotaur, Yuu is about to venture deeper when he suddenly hears the sound of combat nearby.
"Is there someone else besides me? An NPC? Or…"
Curious, he quietly moves through the bushes, standing behind a large tree, and looks toward the sound's source.
It's a girl in beginner clothes.
Long chestnut hair, a slender figure.
Her skin is fair, her features delicate, and though there's a hint of panic in her eyes, there's also a faint resolve not to lose.
Her hand rests on her sword's hilt, ready to draw at any moment, warily eyeing her opponents ahead.
Five dark-skinned orcs block her path, holding clubs, panting heavily, and staring at her with glowing red eyes.
Yuu, hiding behind the tree: "…"
This scene of five dark figures and one pale one—has he seen it somewhere before?
But before he can think of anything strange, the five orcs, like impatient dark-skinned uncles, roar and charge toward the slender, frail girl.
"Roar—!"
Amid the suddenly tense atmosphere, the bushes rustle softly.
The next second, a brilliant white light, like a falling star, bursts from its sheath.