No matter what—
After more than a month in this foreign world,Minori had finally completed his first small objective.
"Ouu…"
A faint, pained whimper came from the grass roughly ten meters away from the ancient tree where Minori was resting.
Minori glanced over indifferently, frowned slightly, then turned his gaze away.
He recognized the source immediately.
It was that little evil hound.
Minori had no interest in taming such a creature.It was weak, with negligible combat ability.
Even a fully grown evil hound would barely compare to a low-tier ogre.As Minori grew stronger, such creatures would only become more irrelevant.
In the dense thickets—
The small evil hound lay weakly, panting heavily.Its brown eyes, dim yet holding a trace of intelligence, locked onto Minori.
Its limbs had gone limp from exhaustion.
The pup collapsed into the grass, ears drooping, breath ragged.
It was still too young.Even with decent endurance for a beast, the prolonged journey had pushed it past its limits.
After confirming Minori wasn't moving toward it, the little hound closed its eyes and slipped into an exhausted sleep.
—
Beneath the massive, gnarled tree—
Minori pulled several waterskins and assorted items from his Item Box, spreading them neatly before him.
From time to time, faint magic light flickered between his fingers.
Over the past few days—
Aside from killing goblins and low-level monsters to gather experience,Minori had devoted his spare time to studying alchemy.
And through repeated experimentation—
He had finally reached some minor results.
Item: Inferior Alchemical Solution
Effect: Crafted from the "Poison Sac" of the Hanged Spider.
Causes paralysis lasting approximately 3 minutes.
Note: Cannot be stored long-term; loses all effect within one hour.
This unstable alchemical fluid was created by consuming two poison sacs.Fortunately, the Item Box preserved items perfectly, preventing deterioration.
Without it, these materials would have been wasted.
Minori's experiments revealed an important fact:
Alchemy in the New World had broader potential than expected.
Materials weren't limited to standardized reagents.Even components like monster venom could be harnessed.
—
However.
Both the healing potion made from Hot Grass and this paralysis solution were tagged "inferior."
While functional—
They were, in Minori's eyes, nothing more than primitive semi-finished products.
It was like tossing raw tomatoes into a pot and calling it tomato soup.A crude, basic process.
Alchemy could, at best, optimize preservation and enhancement slightly.
But without proper techniques, the products remained crude.
"Semi-finished products are semi-finished," Minori muttered.
"At lower levels, they might have some minor effect... but as I grow stronger, these concoctions will be useless."
Using rare herbs to make minor healing tonics would be a waste.
Better to hand such materials to a trained apothecary like Enfilia.
Perhaps higher-grade ingredients could yield better results—
But without proper skill support, they would still remain inferior.
Minori rubbed his temples, suppressing a wave of irritation.
It reminded him painfully of the Pharmacist Class back in YGGDRASIL.
Without the appropriate class skills, creating high-quality potions or alchemical items was impossible.
But—
Minori was not a man easily entangled by frustration.
He closed his eyes and set aside alchemy for now.
When the time was right—
When he acquired the necessary classes or talents—
He would revisit it.
Until then, the focus was on power.
Night passed quietly.
[Fire Month], July 4th.
—
Minori was now only 100 experience points away from his next level.
Knowing this, he grew more diligent.
Before even the morning mist had lifted—
Minori was already moving, sword in hand.
His enchanted boots, imbued with "Forest Stride", allowed him to ignore environmental obstacles with ease.
He moved swiftly—
Agilely weaving through dense brush and ancient trees.
Locking onto isolated goblins and weak monsters in the jungle became effortless.
In the distance—
The little evil hound, noticing Minori's movement, staggered to its feet and tried to follow.
But the dense forest and Minori's vastly superior speed soon left it far behind.
Still—
The stubborn pup raised its nose, sniffed Minori's lingering scent, and pressed on determinedly.
Bang!
A large beetle, nearly half a meter long, was kicked away by Minori's boot—crashing heavily against a thick tree.
The massive trunk shook, raining down a flurry of leaves.
"Hissss—!"
Unfazed, the beetle spread its translucent wings and launched itself back at Minori.
—
"So tough," Minori murmured dryly.
"Goblins are still easier to kill."
He sidestepped nimbly, letting the beetle's charge fly past.
Behind him—
The beetle, unable to adjust its momentum, smashed headfirst into another tree.
Bang!
The trunk cracked from the impact.
The beetle toppled, exposing its soft underbelly.
Minori moved in a blur.
One precise strike.
Slash!
"Hisss—!"
The beetle shrieked once and fell still.
『Experience Gained: 53』『Experience Slot: 9425/9500』
Minori inspected his blade.
An ordinary iron sword—
Far too weak.
Even with a perfect strike, it couldn't easily penetrate tougher monsters.
A proper weapon upgrade was critical.
He pressed on through the jungle.
The flash of steel and the cries of beasts marked his path.
Every slain goblin and monster brought him closer to leveling up.
—
Bang!
A plump, spotted hare was pinned beneath Minori's boot.
It struggled feebly.
Ordinary beasts provided meager experience—
But it was enough.
Minori glanced at his pocket watch.
It was almost noon.
"Just in time for lunch," he murmured, exerting a little force.
—
Crunch.
The hare's head was crushed instantly.
『Experience Gained: 1』『Experience Slot: 0/10000 — Genius 10LV』
Finally—
He had leveled up.
Minori exhaled slowly, a thin smile playing at the corners of his lips.