I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: Chapter 3 (Vol. 1)

Chapter 3: People of a Different World

—One week later. 
I have a new appreciation for just how powerful my titles and skills are. 
That goes double for the titles Stranger from a Different World and First-Time Traveler to a Different World. 
First off, thanks to Stranger from a Different World, I gain levels much more quickly than normal, and all of my levels, skill levels included, are growing at a ridiculous rate...I think. Given that I don't know what a normal person's growth curve looks like, I can't really say for sure. 
But what's even more ridiculous is the title First-Time Traveler to a Different World. 
It seemed impressive from the very beginning, but each time I gain levels, I'm struck by just how powerful it is. 
After all, the BP I gain to spend on my stats at each level up are ten times what a native of this world would receive and five times what a normal person from Earth could expect. That's just ludicrous. 
The fact that I'm able to steadily grow stronger is partly due to the sage's house and weapons, but more than that, it's thanks to my titles. 
My titles are plenty impressive on their own, but my skills work in my original world, which is just incredibly useful. 
For example, the Appraise skill gives me all sorts of information on various objects when I go grocery shopping, which means I can always find the freshest produce. Meanwhile, the Comprehend Languages skill lets me read and write in various foreign languages and even speak fluently in those languages. It's stupid convenient. 
Now, while the skills and titles are the most memorable parts of the last week or so, some of my biggest discoveries came from the vegetables growing in the garden. 
Over the course of the past several days, I've been regularly incorporating the stat-raising ingredients into my diet, but once my stats hit a certain amount, the produce stopped increasing them. 
This is just a guess, but there's probably a limit to how much those vegetables can boost growth. If anything, it was weird in the first place to get stronger just by eating, so I wasn't too broken up about it. Besides, even if they don't increase my stats, they're still delicious. 
Oh, by the way, I did end up trying the Hell Slime Jelly, and guess what? It really did taste like coffee jelly. And yes, it tasted great. 
Meanwhile, I learned a lot about my new body through trial and error. 
As I practiced with my weapons while using the old books I bought as references, my True Art of War skill went up, which made it clear I didn't need to kill monsters to increase my skill levels. When I consider the fact that this is probably also due to my Stranger from a Different World title, it just emphasizes how powerful the titles are. 
And while I didn't notice any big differences in my fighting ability at level 2 versus level 1 of True Art of War, I feel like I’m a little bit sharper when I’m swinging my weapons. It really is just a feeling, though. 
But even as I'm learning new things about myself and this new, strange world, I also find myself slowly sinking into a gloomy, anxious state. 
That's because the day of reckoning—my first day of high school—is creeping ever closer. 
Entering high school means braving a new environment...and to be honest, I feel nothing but anxiety about what's coming. 
Ordinarily, the anxiety would be balanced out with the excitement of new experiences, but I'm afraid I don't have the courage to reinvent myself in a school where basically everyone already knows me from middle school. I mean, even if I tried, I'm sure the hazing and bullying would only get worse. 
I wish I could just keep exploring this different world, but well, that's not an option. 
"Sigh... I don't want to go..." 
Is the fact that I'm considering going to high school despite repeating that refrain in my head simply a sign that I'm fundamentally a coward? I'd be better off if I could just muster the courage to stop going to school, but I feel like if I did that, my life as I know it would truly be over... And so ultimately, I can't bring myself to make that leap. 
Which is why I'm currently on my way to a store that sells school uniforms to replace my old one that doesn't fit me anymore.
Since the new school year is going to start soon, it shouldn't exactly be rare for people to come order a new uniform, but for some reason, everyone at the store won't stop staring at me... I didn't leave my fly open, did I? 
Fortunately, I'm rewarded for my courage, as there aren't many people out, and I don't run into anyone I know. 
Anyway, I'm approaching today with a sense of determination...because today's the day I make my first trip into the area surrounding the cabin in the other world. 
It's scary to consider that there might be a bunch of pants-wetting things like Bloody Ogres and Hell Slimes waiting for me, but my curiosity still outweighs my fear. 
That kind of mindset would've been unimaginable for the old me, but since I gained a whole bunch of levels, while I wouldn't say I'm confident, I'm at least able to feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of indulging my urge to explore. 
I suppose it might look reckless to other people, but I'm honestly happy about that change. 
Maybe it'll help me approach life more proactively from now on. 
"...Could be a little reckless of me, but let's head out for now." 
I'm wearing the Bloodstained Ogre armor such as the Breastplate of the Bloodstained Ogre and the Gauntlets of the Bloodstained Ogre over the clothes that the sage left for me. When I tried putting them on after I lost all that weight, I found out they're the perfect size for me. I'm hoping this grants me a little protection, at least. 
Oh, that reminds me, the first time I tried them on, I got almost embarrassingly amped up because it looked so cool... But well, that's normal, right? 
I mean, it really does look so damn cool! 
Just in case, I'm also carrying some of the Herbs of Complete Healing as a basic precaution. So long as I don't die from the very first blow, this should keep me relatively safe... Or am I'm being too optimistic? 
I approach the gate that separates my property from the outside world, near the spot where I killed the two monsters a week earlier, and I stop to take a deep breath. 
Weapons? Check. Armor? Check. Herbs of Complete Healing? Check. 
"...Okay." 
I steel my nerves and set foot outside. 
Step by step, I slowly set off my property. 
And then— 
"Oh..." 
I've successfully left the safety of the house. 
While the views are the same as behind the fence, it all suddenly looks more colorful, more vibrant, and I stare at my surroundings in awe for a while. 
The reality of my little excursion starts to set in, and I gain confidence with each additional step. 
Although the plan today is theoretically to explore the immediate area, I don't have the courage to go too far yet, so I'm planning to avoid losing sight of the house. 
I grip my weapon, the Absolute Spear, and forge ahead as I warily keep my head on a swivel. 
It's the first time I've studied the trees of this forest up close, and all the leaves in the canopy are shapes I've never seen before. 
There's also a wide variety of flowering plants, ranging from those that clearly look poisonous to ones that are rainbow-colored and even some flowers that glow faintly. 
...Looking at all of this really drives home the fact that I'm currently in a different world. 
As I reach that rather obvious conclusion about this stunning vista, I suddenly notice the presence of a living thing nearby. Seems like my skill Detect Presence is working. 
I hold my breath and cautiously approach until I can see the creature in question: a little green humanoid dressed in rough armor. Its sharp, slanted eyes, hooked nose, and mouth full of jagged fangs all combine into a frightening visage. I guess the Bloody Ogre was scarier, though. 
I make sure it doesn't see me as I activate Appraise.

Goblin Elite 
Level: 120, Mana: 100, Attack: 1500, Defense: 1000, Agility: 1500, Intelligence: 100, Luck: 100

As I suspected, it's a goblin. 
But it's not just any goblin. It's an elite. Which makes it's a high-tier goblin, I think? Not gonna lie, kinda jealous. 
Putting that aside, what should I do? 
I'm definitely stronger when it comes to raw stats. 
But is this goblin really an enemy? It's possible that in this world, goblins and humans can peacefully live side by side. 
If that's the case, I'd be in the wrong for attacking this one out of the blue. The Bloody Ogre and Hell Slime were very obviously hostile when they tried to force their way onto my property, but I really can't tell one way or the other this time. I feel like because the Bloody Ogre was hostile, there's good odds the goblin is as well, but better to wait and see. 
Which is why I try to avoid any unnecessary trouble by sneaking away from the spot. 
Crack. 
And in the process, I end up stepping on a twig and making a loud noise. 
I hesitantly turn toward the goblin— 
"..." 
"..." 
It's totally looking right at me. 
We stare at each other in silence for a while. 
I can't bear the silence any longer, and I call over it to with a smile. 
"H-hello!" 
"Grahraaagh!" 
"Yeah, I figured!" 
Practically on cue, the Goblin Elite charges at me while swinging its rusty sword. 
Before my recent experiences, my knees would probably have given out, and I would've instantly fallen on my butt. Now I'm able to take the time to carefully gauge the Goblin Elite's movements and avoid the incoming attack. 
"Grah?! Raaagyaa!" 
The Goblin Elite appears surprised that I dodged, but it quickly readies another strike, fully intent on killing me. 
By now, it's plain to see that the goblin is, as expected, very hostile. 
Now that I know it's an enemy, I figure there's nothing wrong with defending myself, so I adjust my grip on the Absolute Spear and recall the contents of one of the books I bought. 
The book I read on spear fighting didn't mention anything about how to hold a spear. 
At that point, I wondered if I'd made a mistake in my choice of books, but when I continued reading, I discovered that the book's policy is that the haft of a spear should be held in whatever grip the user finds most comfortable, and it went on to explain that the basic spear thrust involves twisting the spear as it's being thrust at the opponent. 
In that sense, by boiling it down to just twisting the spear as I thrust forward, the book explained the technique in a way that was easy for a pure beginner like me to understand. 
I calmly watch the Goblin Elite as it tries to launch a second attack, and I immediately note that it's swinging its sword from side to side. Meaning its head and lower body are completely exposed. 
Taking advantage of that opening, I calmly use the greater reach of the spear and put my entire body behind my spear thrust, twisting it in my grip as I do so. 
A gust of wind spirals around the tip of the spear as it pierces the goblin's forehead with unerring precision. 
"Grah?!" 
I've already struck the Goblin Elite, but it seems the wind spiraling around the spear point is also really powerful, because the resulting blast blows away the rest of the head entirely, beheading the monster. 
The Goblin Elite's headless body wobbles for a few steps before emitting a geyser of blood from its neck and falling over. Eventually, the corpse begins dissolving into motes of light. 
"Phew..." 
That's the first time I've felt the raw sensation of killing with a weapon in my hand. 
But I find that I'm strangely calm. 
It's a horrific sight, the sort of scene where I'd expect to keel over and throw up, but for some reason, I feel unperturbed. 
Of course, I do recognize that I've taken a life, and I like to think I understand the significance. 
Even then, part of me deep down finds certainty in that it was a kill-or-be-killed situation, and both my body and mind are aligned. 
"...The item drops this time are Magic Stone: D, Fang of the Greater Goblin, and Hide of the Greater Goblin... Eh?" 
The whole idea of taking a goblin's skin is pretty gross, and as expected, none of it is stuff I know how to use, but I toss all of it into my Item Box. 
Oh, that reminds me—it's the first time I've done anything major in this armor, and it didn't hinder my movements at all. Given that I also like the way it looks, this armor gets high marks in every category from me. 
Although I originally hoped to avoid a fight, considering that the fight let me confirm a lot of things, maybe running into the goblin was for the best. 
"Hrm... Doesn't look I gained a level this time..." 
If nothing else, I'm glad I got a chance to try out a technique I learned from those books. It's one thing to try something in the safety of my own yard. It's another thing entirely to do it in actual battle. I'm glad it was useful in a practical way. 
I'm in a different world, and the opponents are fantasy monsters, but martial arts from Earth still work against them. I hope things keep going this swimmingly. 
"All right, time to continue exploring." 
I probably didn't level up because the enemy was fairly close in level to me, so I shift gears and resume exploring the forest.

***

"Gasp...wheeze..." 
A young woman desperately ran through the woods. 
However, it was plain to see that the clothing she wore—a finely crafted bone-white dress—wasn't well suited to running. 
Her beautiful blond hair, which looked like strands of sunlight filtering through the trees, had become knotted and matted as she ran, losing its regal luster. 
"..." 
Behind the young woman, a group of several silhouettes in hooded garments followed closely. 
"Mmph...!" 
The young woman ran barefoot through the rough terrain of the forest. 
"Ah?!" 
But the combination of her inconvenient clothes and the unforgiving environment finally caught up to her when she tripped on a tree root and fell. 
There was no way the mysterious group chasing her would let that opportunity slip by them. They immediately surrounded the young woman. 
She clearly recognized that there was nowhere left to run, but she glared defiantly at the hooded figures with her jade eyes anyway. 
"You lot! Do you dare to attack me knowing that I'm the first princess of the Kingdom of Arselia?!" 
The hooded figures exchanged glances and chuckled at the young woman's defiance. 
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Of course, Lexia von Arselia. We know exactly who you are." 
"Then why...?" 
"Why? What an odd thing to say! You of all people should know why..." 
"I—I..." 
The young woman—Lexia—found herself at a loss for words. 
"You're an eyesore. You and your tainted blood!" 
"My blood isn't tainted...!" 
"Shut your mouth!" 
"Aaah!" 
As Lexia held her ground, one of her assailants conjured a hunk of earth and launched it at her. 
Lexia immediately rolled to avoid taking a direct hit, but the spell was powerful, and the impact alone did a surprising amount of damage. 
"Aaagh..." 
"Don't make this such a hassle. You had one simple job—die." 
"A pity about your bodyguards, eh? Getting attacked by us because they just happened to be guarding you." 
"They were so desperate to let you escape, but I bet those knights are facedown in the mud by now." 
As Lexia doubled over in pain, her assailants peppered her with taunts. 
Lexia was the oldest of the king's children, but she was the child of a concubine—a slave. 
Further, her mother wasn't human. 
Lexia's mother had been a high elf, a particularly attractive group even among the ethereal elven races. 
The king had fallen in love at first sight after laying eyes on a high elf slave, declared his love for her, and took her as his mistress. Lexia had been born as a result of that relationship. 
But Lexia's mother had died shortly after childbirth. 
The king grieved her death and raised Lexia as a precious memento of his departed love. 
—However, a certain incident had changed Lexia's life forever. 
As a half-elf with high elven blood, Lexia had inherited both her mother's beauty and her people's powerful aptitude for magic, and one day, she lost control of her mana. 
As a result, the first prince, who had been standing near her at the time, had been badly injured. 
Fortunately, the prince had recovered without any lasting debilitations or scars. However, this earned Lexia the ire of the prince's mother, the queen, as well as all the nobles who supported the first prince. 
Due to the circumstances of her birth, she had always been teased and bullied by them outside the king's watchful gaze. 
"Sob... Aaagh..." 
Lexia was grateful to her mother for giving birth to her, and she held no ill will toward her father. 
Yet so many mercilessly attacked her. 
Even being born royalty could, depending on the circumstances, end up being a curse rather than a blessing. 
She couldn't do anything to change what had happened, and she had strived to live without letting her tribulations break her, but with death staring her in the face, Lexia couldn't help but break out in tears as she reflected on her lot in life. 
If she had only lived a more normal life... That lone thought came unbidden. 
"I'm not about to waste time on pointless chitchat until we get attacked by monsters... Go ahead and die already." 
Lexia choked back her sobs, crying silently at her own misery, at the hopeless situation she found herself in. 
Then, just as one of her assailants was about to mercilessly finish her off with a spell... 
"Raaaagh!" 
"Wha—?! A Goblin General?!" 
A monster suddenly set upon Lexia's assailants. 
Golden reptilian eyes and burnt-brown skin. 
With its muscular limbs, a height no different from a grown man, and its finely made armor, the monster gave off an intimidating aura. 
It exhaled sharply through its hooked nose and swung wildly with a greatsword as long as its wielder was tall. 
The resulting blow was overwhelming, and the hooded figures who tried to bring magic to bear against the Goblin General were reduced to piles of gore with a single swing. 
"Aaah?!" 
The men who had been so intent on killing her had been slaughtered in an instant. 
Lexia's expression twisted in terror, and though she tried to get up and run, her legs wouldn't obey her. 
As Lexia stayed frozen in fear, the Goblin General used its overwhelming strength to massacre the entire group of hooded assassins. 
The surrounding forest was now spattered with blood and gore, with the bloodstained Goblin General standing in the middle. 
—It was futile to resist its staggering strength.

Lexia's body suddenly refused to listen to her commands. 
Having finished butchering the hooded figures, the Goblin General turned its gaze toward Lexia, who was gripped by terror and despair. 
Caught in its sharp gaze, Lexia surrendered even her will to live. 
"Ah…" 
As Lexia stared in a terrified stupor, the monster slowly approached. 
Once it stopped in front of her, the Goblin General raised its giant sword. 
"Graaaaah!" 
She would die here. She probably wouldn't even so much as feel it. 
Giving up on any hope of living, Lexia was simply staring at the sword that was about to end her life like it was happening to someone else. 
"Yaaaaah!" 
"Gruah?!" 
Suddenly, something flew at the Goblin General. 
But the Goblin General had detected the projectile before it hit, raising its greatsword to deflect it. 
However, that wasn't the only attack. 
A second impact slammed into the greatsword that had blocked the projectile. 
The impact was so great that even the powerful Goblin General couldn't stand its ground, getting thrown backward by the force of the blow. 
Facing the new challenger, the Goblin General regained its footing; glaring in fury, it let out an enraged roar. 
"Grrr... Graaaaah!" 
Lexia's gaze followed the Goblin General's eyes and saw— 
"—You okay?!" 
—silken black hair and eyes that brought the night sky to mind. She saw a young man with an elegant and oddly foreign air hurriedly approaching her. 
It was still a desperate situation, but for some reason, Lexia felt a sudden surge of hope, of relief at the young man's presence. 
That relief was enough to break the tension that had been coiled up within her, and Lexia fainted.

***

It's been a few days since I fought the Goblin Elite. 
I've made a fair bit of progress on my exploration in those days, and I picked up a useful skill on the way, making it unnecessary to leave marks of my progress through the woods. 
Not only did I learn a new skill, I also fought new monsters and increased both my level and my fighting technique. And by converting the items those monsters dropped, I'd also made a fair bit of money along the way. 
Hence my current stats are:

Yuuya Tenjou 
Occupation: None, Level: 200, Mana: 5000, Attack: 7000, Defense: 7000, Agility: 7000, Intelligence: 4500, Luck: 7500, BP: 0 
Skills: Appraise, Endurance, Item Box, Comprehend Languages, True Art of War: 4, Detect Presence, Cooking: 3, Speed Reading, Map, Dodge, Detect Weakness, One with Nature 
Titles: Master of the Door, Master of the House, Stranger from a Different World, First-Time Traveler to a Different World

I gained more levels than I expected, so I keep having to deal with that agonizing pain while I sleep, but I'm starting to get used to it... Or rather, I think that pain and strange noises are gone now. 
My guess is that my body's finished being rebuilt, maybe. Like there isn't any more room for any modifications. 
Still, I'm clearly getting stronger, so it's not that my growth has completely stopped. Probably nothing to worry about. If anything, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that pain anymore. 
As for the new skills, their effects look like this:

Map—Automatically maps locations that have been visited. 
Dodge—Makes it easier to avoid enemy attacks. 
Detect Weakness—Can find the weaknesses of an enemy. 
One with Nature—Become one with nature and erases your presence and mana.

They're all really useful, and the Map skill, in particular, makes it much easier to go around exploring. 
Dodge gives me the ability to see what timing the enemy is going to attack at, while Detect Weakness lets me see where I should attack to do the most damage. I guess I picked up One with Nature because I was hiding to observe monsters, and it's really come in handy. 
The skills are all really helpful for me, since I have no real personal experience with fighting. Thanks to their benefits, even I've been able to take on my opponents from the front. 
As for the item drops from all of the fighting, I converted it all into money, and thanks to that, I'm up to 10 million yen, which I'm storing in my Item Box. 
I don't own anything like a computer, and they seem useful, so I'm hoping to buy one with this money. 
But all that aside, high school is about to start soon. 
Meaning it'll be back to the hellish days of bullying and hazing... 
More than anything, I'm going to miss all the free time. Classes starting up again will make it a lot harder to go exploring. 
I've been studying, of course, but even then, going to school is just painful for me. 
"Sigh... Guess I should get over it. It's a waste to dwell on school when I'm in such a fun place..." 
I know I'm just avoiding facing my reality, but I temporarily push thoughts of school out of my head. 
Better to just start my daily routine of exploring the other world, since this routine is probably going to end once school starts. 
I have the Absolute Spear in my hand, but I've also been fighting with the other weapons and my bare hands. It's just that the spear seems to fit me best, so I have it out by default. Though I use the Omnisword pretty often, too. 
I wander the woods for a while, but there's no sign of any monsters. 
Still, it's not completely fruitless. I pick up various odd mushrooms and fruits growing on the trees, Appraising them and tossing them into my Item Box. Sometimes, I can convert them into money, and others, I just eat. 
Whatever's left over, I can take home to Earth. 
This world has turned into a bit of a food warehouse for me. Oh, that reminds me, when I killed a bipedal pig monster called an Orc Elite, it dropped Greater Pigman Meat. I tried eating it, and it was delicious. Of course, that was only after I Appraised it to make sure it was harmless. 
So drop items are not just a source of income, but also a source of food for me. I'm grateful for that fact, since this means I don't have to go outside to go grocery shopping. It's a real time-saver. 
After spending a little while wandering around and foraging in the woods, I hear sounds of intense fighting in the distance. 
"What is that?" 
Surprised at just how loud the battle seems, I cautiously head in the direction of the noises. 
"Ah?!" 
When I get there, I see a blood-splattered monster that looks like a bigger, stronger Goblin Elite. 
A closer look shows there's chunks of what looks like meat and gore splattered around it. 
I fall silent at the sheer horror show that's on display here, but I immediately return to my senses and activate Appraise.

Goblin General 
Level: 200, Mana: 1000, Attack: 9000, Defense: 3000, Agility: 500, Intelligence: 500, Luck: 100

Evidently, the rank above elite is general. Moreover, it's the first time I've run into this monster. 
My stats are more balanced, but that thing's got a ridiculous attack value. 
I don't know what set it off, but I should probably wait and see what it's doing. I'd rather take a little bit more time fighting things with lower stats and gain some more combat experience first. 
Having made that decision, I get ready to quietly leave the area. 
But... 
"Wait, what?!" 
I spot a girl around my age sitting on the ground in the direction the Goblin General is heading. 
Her dress looks pretty expensive, and I have no idea what she's doing in these woods, but she's the first person I've seen in this world... Ordinarily, that's a cause for celebration, but now's definitely not the time for that. 
The moment the Goblin General draws back its sword, I quickly throw my Absolute Spear. 
"Yaaaaah!" 
"Gruah?!" 
The Goblin General immediately notices the Absolute Spear flying straight at it and blocks with the sword it was preparing to swing. 
I use that opening to sprint forward at full speed and hurl all my weight forward, landing a jump kick on the Goblin General's sword. 
"Hyah!" 
"Grah?!" 
Since I charged into it at a dead sprint, the impact knocks the Goblin General back quite a distance. 
As I land, I collect the Absolute Spear when it returns to my hand and approach the girl. 
"—You okay?!" 
The moment I call over to her, she looks at me with an expression of surprise, then collapses in like a rag doll. 
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" 
For a moment, I panic, suspecting the worst, but upon closer examination, she's clearly still breathing. Guess she's simply out cold. 
As I breathe a sigh of relief, I feel an intense stare burrowing into me. I turn to face my adversary. 
Sure enough, the Goblin General is glaring intently at me. 
I adjust my grip on the Absolute Spear and face the Goblin General. 
"..." 
"..." 
We both ready our weapons and search for an opening. 
But just as I can't find any obvious gaps in the Goblin General's defense, it seems it can't find any in mine, either, and we remain locked in a silent standoff. 
"Grrr... Graaaaah!" 
Finally, the Goblin General loses its patience, advancing with a ground-shattering step while sweeping its sword sideways. 
When I see its attack, my instinct tells me that trying to block would be a mistake, so I pick up the unconscious girl and quickly leap away instead. 
I immediately set the girl on the ground and then charge at the Goblin General. 
"Hyaaah!" 
"Graaah!" 
However, the Goblin General easily blocks my thrust. 
Following up, it pours all its strength into its arms, fully intending to hurl me away with brute force. 
"Guh!" 
The sheer strength of the attack launches me into the air. 
I almost slam into the trees behind me, but I somehow correct my course and land on safely on one of them instead. 
"Oh boy..." 
A cold shiver runs up my spine at the Goblin General's demonstration of strength. 
Given its high attack stat, if I try to go toe to toe with it, I'm going to lose. 
If I wanna win, I need to find an opening. 
Fortunately, I have much higher stats in everything other than attack. I need to make the most of that and the large variety of weapons I have at my disposal. 
I immediately use the tree as a springboard and lunge once more at the Goblin General. 
The Goblin General holds its giant sword like a baseball bat, gauging the timing in the hopes of cutting me down while I'm still in midair. 
If I had charged straight forward, it probably would have killed me right then and there. 
But right before I enter the Goblin General's range, I stab my Absolute Spear into the ground. 
"Graaah?!" 
The Goblin General's sword whistles through empty air as I come to a sudden stop. 
Using the Absolute Spear like a pole-vaulter, I launch myself high up. 
As I pass over the Goblin General's head, I draw the Void Bow from my Item Box and launch an invisible arrow. 
However, the Goblin General detects the attack and uses the momentum from its initial swing to bring its big sword upward, successfully blocking the arrow. 
But that attack has left the monster vulnerable for a brief moment. I land on another tree, using it as a solid platform to hurl the Absolute Spear that’s returned to my hand. 
"Guh... Gugugah." 
The Goblin General somehow manages to block that attack as well, contorting its body painfully. 
—But I have one more attack up my sleeve. 
The moment I threw the Absolute Spear, I used the tree trunk to once again launch myself at the Goblin General. 
And in my right hand, I have the Omnisword. 
"Grah?!" 
The Goblin General finally notices my approach and moves desperately to defend itself, but... 
"Too slow...!" 
"Graaaaaah!" 
I complete my lunge and split the Goblin General in two with my sword. 
The Goblin General then slowly collapses, disappearing into particles of light. 
Once I confirm the Goblin General is dead, I turn my gaze to the unconscious girl still lying where I left her. 
"What...should I do with her...?" 
As I'm wondering what would be best in this situation, a message pops up in front of me.

"You have gained a level."

Oh, gotcha.

***

I quickly gather the Goblin General's drop items, then approach the girl. 
She's dressed in fine clothes that are completely out of place in woods like these. Honestly, this is the first time I've actually seen someone wearing a dress... 
Right as I'm seriously wondering what I'm supposed to do, I feel someone's presence approaching. 
"—ness! Your Highness! Princess Lexia!" 
Whoever it is, they're getting closer, and I hear something that sounds like a human voice. 
Oh, Lexia... Is that her name? 
I think about that before glancing around and remembering the area is a veritable splatter horror show... 
Yeah, it's pretty gruesome, but not enough to make me throw up. 
Still, this scene is so bad that I can only imagine some really terrible misunderstandings arising if the people looking for this princess find me standing here... 
...Time to hide. 
I hurriedly leap into some nearby bushes and activate my One with Nature skill. 
Soon after, a group of what looks like soldiers approaches, bristling with weapons and ready for a fight. 
They're all wearing similar armor, and the middle-aged man with a black cape over his armor stares in mute shock at the scene. 
"Wh-what...?!" 
I'm glad I didn't wait around out in the open. They're all on high alert now. 
The soldiers, warily checking their surroundings, immediately notice the girl passed out at the base of the tree. 
"Y-Your Highness!" 
The soldiers hurriedly rush over to check on her condition. 
Then one of the soldiers briefly murmurs something, emitting a faint white light from his right hand and gently pressing it to her body. 
Wait, is that...magic?! Whoa! Awesome! 
While I'm getting all worked up by my first encounter with magic, the soldiers let out deep sighs of relief. 
"I just cast a healing spell on her, so she should be fine now. It appears she's only unconscious." 
"Oh, thank the gods... I'm glad it's nothing serious..." 
The soldiers seem relieved to find her safe, but they waste no time gently picking her up and warily watch their surroundings as they prepare to leave. 
"...I'd like to know what's happened here, but we shouldn't tarry. Time to make our way home." 
"Yes, sir!" 
At the middle-aged knight's urging, the rest of them answer crisply and quickly set off from the area. 
After watching them leave, I let out a breath of relief. 
"Phew... I was cutting it pretty close there for a while, but it looks like everything's working out well..." 
It was a bit of a blur, but still, this is the first time I've run into anyone from this world... I didn't get to talk to them, though.

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