After defeating the monster and appraising it, I found that my level had increased.
Indeed, the fastest way to level up is to hunt monsters and earn experience points.
For some reason, my bonus points had increased by one, but it was probably due to leveling up.
I think my bonus points also increased when I reached level 2.
Perhaps this is a wonderful system where bonus points increase with each level up.
But how do people without a character reset skill use them?
This game is definitely a piece of crap.
No, life itself is a piece of crap.
...It's really terrible, isn't it?
In any case, I now know how to level up.
The next problem is how to increase my jobs.
The villagers had them from the start.
I obtained the Thief job through a certain method.
I probably got the Hero job by protecting the village from the Thief.
The other jobs I've seen so far are Mayor, Merchant, and Farmer.
I don't think I should ask the Mayor how to become one.
If it were an NPC, that might be an option.
But if I do, I might be taken as saying, "You're not fit to be Mayor, so switch with me."
I can ask the Merchant how to become one.
What about the Farmer?
Come to think of it, I got the Thief job when I stole the sandals.
If stealing something makes you a Thief, then doing some farming might give you the Farmer job.
Farming, huh.
Can I do something in the village?
I dismissed Durandal and decided to return to the village.
When I dismissed Durandal, I thought I should have tried all the weapons from Weapon 5 to Weapon 1, not just Durandal or the copper sword.
However, if I can't defeat the monster in one hit, I might take damage.
To recover, I need Durandal's HP absorption.
It's better to stick with Durandal than to switch swords every time.
I sheathed the copper sword, held five rabbit furs in my right hand, and rabbit meat in my left.
The rabbit furs are quite small. If I want to make a fur coat, how many would I need?
Maybe a hundred or two hundred, or even more.
The buyback value is probably not high.
Well, it's a monster beginners can hunt—assuming I have Durandal.
Durandal is the best.
I returned to the village through the forest and went back to the Mayor's house.
"Use this for dinner."
I handed the rabbit meat to the Mayor.
"Is it okay to take it?"
"It's a treat for dinner."
"I understand. This is... rabbit meat!?"
The Mayor seemed surprised.
Even though he said the rabbit meat was left over.
"It just happened to be left over."
"Rabbit meat is something you get only after defeating about ten Slow Rabbits."
"Hmm."
So the drop rate is about ten percent.
"Getting it from the first one is quite lucky. I must be very blessed by the gods."
"No, it didn't come from the first one."
I raised my right hand and showed the rabbit furs I was holding.
"You don't mean..."
The Mayor swallowed.
Why is he surprised?
You said I could do it easily.
"I haven't heard that they're that strong."
"Of course, you can defeat them, but it's only been half a day since you left."
"About that long, yeah."
The sun is still high. There's still some time before it sets.
"Slow Rabbits are monsters that take a long time for several villagers to defeat together."
"Hmm."
With a copper sword, it might take a bit of effort.
With Durandal, it's one hit.
"Also, after fighting one, you need to wait for your stamina to recover. If someone gets injured, you need to treat them. Normally, we don't hunt monsters one after another."
"I see."
With a copper sword, I would probably take a few hits. If I take damage, I need to recover.
In my case, I relied on Durandal's HP absorption for recovery.
"You must be very strong. No one in this village can defeat several Slow Rabbits in such a short time alone."
"I see."
It might be tough for the other villagers.
Let's leave it at that.
I don't mind being called strong.
"If possible, please sell the rabbit furs to the merchant I mentioned earlier. We also do sewing in this village. It's rare to get so many."
"Alright, I'll do that."
Slow Rabbits live near this village, so the rabbit furs are probably a local specialty.
They probably don't want to sell them elsewhere.
"Thank you. The merchant's house is three doors down."
"Then I'll go."
"Wait a moment."
The Mayor stopped me as I was about to leave.
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
The Mayor and his family talked, and a woman who seemed to be his wife brought something.
"Please use this bag."
"Ah, thank you."
The Mayor handed me a bag.
It's like a small pouch. It closes with a string, so it's probably a drawstring bag.
I put the rabbit furs in the bag.
"Then, I'll be going."
I went to the merchant's house three doors down.
I didn't ask if it was to the right or left.
It's probably that way.
There's a house with a large open entrance. That must be the merchant's house.
Before I go, I should set the haggling skill.
I chanted "Character Reset."
I unchecked Meteor Crash, which I won't use anyway, and checked haggling.
Haggling changed to a 10% increase in buyback price.
Here we go again.
I manipulated the required experience and gained experience to get 64 points.
The buyback price increased to 15%, 20%, 25%, and finally 30%, which turned into faint text.
Will it really work?
"Excuse me."
I called out and entered the house that looked like a merchant's.
"Ah, it's you, Michio. What brings you here?"
The merchant from earlier came out.
"What do you sell here?"
"We are the only store in this village. Basically, we get items from the town market when ordered and deliver them."
There are no items on display.
It's quite sparse.
Is this the level of civilization here?
"Is there a store that displays items?"
"...I think only slave traders keep items on hand."
The merchant said doubtfully.
Slaves can't be immediately acquired when needed, so slave traders keep some stock. Other stores don't keep items on display.
Did he think I came to buy slaves?
"Sorry. I asked a strange question. I'm from the countryside, you see."
I hurried to cover it up.
"In the countryside, there are no stores that display items."
"No, I heard there are such stores in towns."
"Is that so? There are no such stores in the town of Baire. You might find them in larger towns, like weapon or armor shops."
"I might have been lied to by someone who thought I was from the countryside. Don't worry about it. Anyway, I want you to look at these rabbit furs."
I changed the subject.
"Rabbit furs?"
"The Mayor asked me to sell them here."
I took the rabbit furs out of the drawstring bag.
"These... you have quite a few, don't you?"
Even though it's only five.
I don't need to mention that I hunted them just now.
"I want to sell them."
"The buyback price for rabbit furs is twenty nals per piece."
"Alright."
Honestly, I don't know what twenty nals means.
"Since you're using our store, I'll buy all of them for 130 nals this time."
Twenty nals for five is 100 nals, so it's a perfect 30% increase.
I wonder what's going on.
But if he buys them at a higher price, I have no complaints.
"Alright."
"Here you go."
The merchant placed a white coin and several copper coins on the table.
The white one is probably a silver coin. One silver coin is probably 100 nals.
"...26, 28, 30. I've counted them."
There are indeed 30 copper coins.
I put the small change in the drawstring bag with the rabbit furs.
The merchant also put away the rabbit furs.
"We have Cupico fruits in our garden now. As a token of our transaction, I'd like to give you some Cupico fruits."
"Cupico?"
"Yes. We got good seedlings. We hope to make them a local specialty in the future."
The fact that I don't know Cupico was ignored.
Is it something everyone knows in this world?
"I see."
"I'll go pick them. Can you wait here?"
"Ah, no, wait. I want to see where the Cupico fruits are growing."
I stopped the merchant who was about to go inside.
A chance to do some farming.
"I'm from the countryside. I'm interested in such things."
"I understand. Would you like to come with me to the garden?"
I went outside with the merchant.
"You have a garden?"
"Everyone in the village has a small one."
I talked with the merchant while walking.
Gathering information is necessary.
"There are farmers in this village, right?"
"The fields outside the village are cultivated by members of the Farmer's Guild."
"Farmer's Guild..."
Is there such a thing?
"All the farmers in this area are members of the Farmer's Guild."
I don't quite understand, but it seems complicated.
Is farming a waste of time?
By the way, how did Mr. Bicker become a merchant?"
I secretly appraised to confirm the merchant's name.
Appraisal is convenient.
"I'm also a member of the Merchant's Guild."
It seems that to become a farmer, you need to join the Farmer's Guild, and to become a merchant, you need to join the Merchant's Guild.
"Can I become a merchant if I join the guild?"
"Do you intend to become a merchant?"
"No, just asking."
I hurried to deny it.
"I think you're a member of some guild."
"I'm not."
I shouldn't be.
"Are you an adventurer? If you are, you're probably a member of the Adventurer's Guild."
"I'm not officially an adventurer."
Damn.
There's an Adventurer's Guild too?
"Is that so? Not being in a guild must be difficult."
He surprisingly let it go easily.
"Well, yeah."
"You know, you can only join one guild. Also, there are strict restrictions on leaving a guild once you join."
"Uh, yeah."
Is that so?
"If you're not in any guild, it's easy to become a merchant."
"Do I just register with the guild?"
"Of course, but you also need approval from the temple for any job."
"Of course."
What's obvious? I don't even understand what I'm saying.
It seems there are complicated procedures involved.
"There's also the Merchant's Guild. To join this guild, you need a lot of experience to be recognized by the temple."
"I see."
I don't quite understand, but the Merchant's Guild is probably a higher-level job for merchants.
I nodded and hurried to the garden.
At the edge of the village, there was a field that could be found anywhere.
"This is our garden."
"Wow, it's big."
The field, which is quite large for a home garden, has several types of plants.
They all look like plants from Earth.
Ah, there are carrots.
Red carrots were hanging from the stems of plants about a meter tall.
Hmm. So carrots grow like this?
Wait, do carrots even grow like that?
"That's Cupico."
The merchant pointed out as I approached the carrots.
"Hmm."
Not carrots, but Cupico.
Carrots grow underground, not like this.
"The red ones are ripe. Please try them."
"Can I pick them by hand?"
I confirmed with the merchant and harvested them.
"...How are they?"
After picking two, the merchant asked anxiously.
He said he wants to make it a local specialty.
"Are there no carrots around here?"
"Perhaps you mean medicinal ginseng. You might find it in the forest."
It seems there are no carrots in this world.
I don't really care since they're not my favorite.
No, I can eat them; I just don't like them much.
Lucky me.
"I have a vegetable in my hometown that looks similar."
"Is that so?"
The merchant looked at me with hopeful eyes.
"They grow well."
"Can you tell me what you think of the taste?"
I decided to try it and bit into the carrot-like thing.
Wow.
It's quite delicious.
Yeah, the taste is good.
It's like a slightly sour cherry, but it looks like a carrot.
It's a strange feeling.
"...Hmm. The taste isn't bad. This could be a good product."
"Is that so? Thank you."
The merchant seemed relieved.
If you don't know about carrots, this could be a good option.
The sun was finally starting to set.
I decided to leave quickly.
On my way back, I checked my jobs.
I chanted "Job Setting" and fiddled with my First Job.
Farmer Lv1
Effect: Slight increase in Strength
There it is.
It's surprisingly easy to get.
I probably got the Farmer job because I did some harvesting.
For some reason, I can set it as a First Job.
Before, I couldn't, but now I can set Hero as a First Job.
Since I only have up to Third Jobs, I need to remove one.
Should I choose the Farmer with a slight increase in Strength over the Villager with a slight increase in Vitality?
If I remove the requirement for one-fifth of the required experience or the fivefold gain in experience, I can set a Fourth Job.
When I fought the Slow Rabbits, my body felt light, so the job effects probably stack (though it's possible only the highest effect, the moderate increase in Strength from Hero, is active).
In terms of effects, more jobs are better.
What about experience?
If I set four jobs, how will the experience work?
Since my Third Job, Thief, leveled up to 3, I know that Third Jobs gain experience.
Will the same amount of experience be given to all four jobs, or will it be divided into quarters?
If it's divided, it might be better to focus on fewer jobs for leveling up.
What if it's not divided?
Even then, up to Third Jobs is better.
With three jobs, the experience is tripled; with four, it's quadrupled.
The fivefold gain in experience is more efficient.
I decided to keep the Third Job setting and replace the Villager Lv3 with the Farmer Lv1.
Kaga Michio, Male, 17 years old
Farmer Lv1, Hero Lv1, Thief Lv3
Equipment: Copper Sword, Sandal Boots
Is there any difference between First and Third Jobs?
Should I bring the high-level Thief Lv3 to the First Job?
However, I don't want to show the Thief and Hero jobs, which no one else has, to others. I'd prefer to keep them hidden at the bottom.
When I returned to the Mayor's house, dinner was just ready.
For dinner, there was rabbit stew and a stir-fry with some kind of fish.
Both were quite delicious.
The food in this world seems to be of a decent standard.
Satisfied with dinner, I went to bed early for the next day.
Wait, where's Tirihi?
Appendix
The Tragic and Sad Life of a 25-Year-Old Villager (Some settings are undetermined)
0 years old.
Born in a rural village.
Both parents were villagers. He had an older brother who was three years older.
10 years old.
As a second son, he began to think about leaving home in the future.
He didn't like the idea of becoming a warrior, which was a serious and rigid path. He had no skills or intelligence for special or production jobs. He wished to live freely and was strong and mischievous, so he aspired to become an adventurer.
12 years old.
He actively participated in the extermination of monsters that appeared near the village.
17 years old.
He became a leader in combat in the village.
He also served as a guard for merchants traveling to the town, broadening his horizons.