Kays Translations

Chapter 20: “'Automatic Battle' Verification Completed!!”

“──G-Gobuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu………”

*Swish...!*

Fresh blood splattered,

Suddenly, just like always, consciousness faded away────... and when I realized it,

"Huuhhh..."

A mild sense of fatigue and the satisfaction of battle──.

Yeah. I'm getting used to this feeling too.

"Oh... I defeated the hobgoblin."

In front of Klaus, who could feel a light sweat on his skin, lay the lifeless body of the hobgoblin he had just defeated.

Its eyes were rolled back, but its body was still warm, indicating that the battle had taken place just moments ago.

However, the battle seemed to have been a single strike, with no signs of any weapon being swung.

This was during a boss battle...

"Hey, seriously? Even though I've fought it several times before... to crush it this easily."

The hobgoblin that had given him quite a hard time in the past.

And yet, this was the result...

'Auto battle' had been unstoppable so far.

Finally, as the massive body thudded to the ground, Klaus realized that the battle had come to an end.

"...Damn, what an unbelievable skill."

Wiping the sweat away and looking up at the sky simultaneously,

"Now...," as he said that, the mist in the forest cleared, and the field returned to normal.

All right! This makes it consecutive normalizations. (Not that it really means anything, though.)

"Well, there aren't any more monsters left in this forest, anyway."

Saying that, Klaus placed the proof of his victories and the pile of dropped items behind him.

Among them were the drops from all the monsters in the forest, excluding the hobgoblin he had just defeated.

"...Well. It's a lower-level hunting ground, but to get all this in such a short time..."

While he had been conducting his verification, he might have overdone it a bit.

However, thanks to that, he had learned various things and even discovered a few shortcomings.

When using 'Auto Battle

The first thing he understood was the ability to almost annihilate monsters with minimal damage.

However, there was the presence of cooldown time.

The skill wasn't limited to just 'Auto Function'; it inherently came with a cooldown period.

Therefore, the drawback was the inability to use it in quick succession.

Furthermore, to operate optimally, it required the shortest possible time and the most efficient movement, utilizing the optimal distance for attacks.

In essence, it seemed that if he had fought against an opponent once before, he could hunt them down with ultimate efficiency and without wasted effort.

...As an experiment, he considered selecting the "Skeleton General" as a potential candidate.

《Battle Target: Skeleton General》

⇒ Display shows "223:11:45" as the time required for the battle.

This indicates that it would take approximately 223 hours to defeat a single "Skeleton General."

In other words, it implies that there are none of them in the vicinity.

However, what would happen if he accidentally chose to engage in battle...?

He might find himself in an unfamiliar place (for example, deep within a graveyard) having defeated just one Skeleton General... and then the 'Auto Battle' would come to an end.

Thinking about this scenario sent a chill down Klaus's spine.

"I-It could lead to terrifying consequences if used incorrectly..."

He shuddered violently.

In fact, there were several moments during the recent battle where he had felt a cold sweat down his spine.

For instance, when he selected multiple kobolds and goblins for elimination, everything seemed fine. 

However, by sheer chance, a Goblin Chief had been among the group, and he had narrowly escaped an ambush.

At that moment, he had noticed just in time and turned the tables, but during 'Auto Battle,' he understood the importance of recognizing the types of enemies. Failing to do so could result in unexpected attacks from ambushers—this realization was a significant takeaway from his experiences.

Furthermore, it's only natural, but it seems that creatures... monsters that I have never fought before are not selectable.

Thanks to that, I was almost left behind by a rare monster in this forest called "Lesser Treant," a tree creature I encountered for the first time.

Well, I managed to defeat it somehow...

I must consider the possibility of encountering monsters stronger than field bosses (in the Misty Forest, it's the "Hobgoblin"). If I get carried away and hunt with auto-battle without being cautious, I might end up on the brink of death...

"In conclusion... I should fight enemies within visual range. Yeah."

It's undeniable that auto-battle boasts unparalleled strength, but dealing with unforeseen circumstances is difficult. 

This applies not only to "auto-battle" but also to unique skills like "auto-resource gathering" [automatic function: auto mode] in general...

"...And what about situations where I have to face truly powerful opponents?"

For example, dragons...

I've never been in a battle with such a powerful opponent before, but even if it were possible to fight, I wonder if I can truly rely on "auto-battle"...

No matter how unique the skill is, facing an exceptionally high-tier species, I can't imagine coming out unscathed.

"...Well, I'll need to verify this eventually."

In any case...

"As long as I don't misuse it, 'auto-battle' can be quite useful, right?"

With that said, after adding the drops from the Hobgoblin, the Misty Forest has finally been completely normalized.

...Now, I guess it's time to go back.

~Drops (Proof of Subjugation)~

Goblin Leader's Ears ×23

Goblin Chief's Ears ×5

Goblin Ears ×224

Kobold Soldier's Fangs ×22

Kobold Bi's Fangs ×7

Kobold Fangs ×389

Green Slime Core Fragments ×21

Hobgoblin Ears ×1

Lesser Treant ×1

　

~Drops (Equipment)~

Crude Short Swords ×100 (remaining abandoned)

Crude Hatchets ×5

Crude Clubs ×10 (remaining abandoned)

Crude Spears ×10 (remaining abandoned)

Crude Round Shields ×20 (remaining abandoned)

Crude Long Halberds ×20 (remaining abandoned)

Roughly Carved Club ×1

~Drops (Materials)~

Lesser Treant's Fragrant Wood ×1

~Drops (Magic Stones)~

Magic Stones (Small) ×203 ⇒ 100 used (remaining for Burst? Prevention)

Red Magic Stones (Small) ×15

Blue Magic Stones (Small) ×10

Green Magic Stones (Small) ×6

Yellow Magic Stones (Small) ×4

Rainbow Magic Stone (Tiny) ×1

Magic Stones (Slightly Small) ×23 ⇒ Used

Magic Stone (Medium) ×1 ⇒ Used

That's all!!

"Ugh... I, it's... heavy."

I've lost track of just how much I've hunted.

In an attempt to reduce my load even slightly, I used a large quantity of the magic stones I obtained in abundance. 

Even so, the number of dropped items was enormous.

※ ※ ※

Klaus Noldor's level has increased. Level up!

Klaus Noldor's level has increased. Level up!

　※ ※ ※

　※ ※ ※

Level: 40 (UP!)

Name: Klaus Noldor

Skills: [Automatic Function - Auto Mode] Level 4

Level 1 ⇒ Automatic Return

Level 2 ⇒ Automatic Movement

Level 3 ⇒ Automatic Resource Gathering

Level 4 ⇒ Automatic Battle

Level 5 ⇒ ?????

● Klaus's Attributes

Health: 296 (UP!)

Strength: 187 (UP!)

Defense: 159 (UP!)

Magic Power: 98 (UP!)

Agility: 186 (UP!)

Resistance: 66 (UP!)

Remaining Status Points: +46 (UP!)

Slot 1: Sword Skills Level 4

Slot 2: Presence Detection Level 3

Slot 3: Low-level Magic Level 1

Slot 4: Automatic Return

Slot 5: Automatic Movement

Slot 6: Automatic Resource Gathering

Slot 7: Automatic Battle

● Title: None

Temporary Title: "Low-level Massacre"

⇒ For a certain period, the encounter rate of low-level monsters significantly decreases.

　※ ※

"Yay, level up... Wait, what a massive load."

Even if my level goes up, heavy stuff is still heavy. But, this is the perfect time for...

—Skill: 'Automatic Return'!

*Whoosh...*

"All right, Liz! Wait for me! Big brother's coming back!!"

　※ ※

《Return Destination: Klaus's Home》

⇒ Time to return: "00:28:22"

※ ※

"─Activate!"

In an instant, consciousness faded, and I was in front of the house. But the sun was still high!!

"Huh? What's that? B-brother──??"

─And thus, Liz confirmed it!!

"I’ll be right back!!"

"Huh?... W-wait, is it alrea────"

I'm sorry, Liz! Big brother is still working!

Forgive me, MY Sister!!

The sun is still high!!

"Take care of the bath and dinner!!"

"Huh?! W-what?!"

... Holding a ladle, Liz watched Klaus depart with a bewildered expression.

With the heavy load in tow, he headed to the guild and...

Clang-clang-clang♪

The sound of a cowbell echoed lightly as he approached the guild reception.

"Hey there."

"Yes, I────... huh?"

A whole bunch!!

"...These are quest completion reports. Also, additional proof of subjugation and materials."

"Huh...? What? Eh?"

A pile of materials from several hundred monsters.

"Th-thank you!"

"Wha—"

At the usual reception counter 

Just as always, I made a delivery...

Countless "low-level materials" covered the counter.

What?

Wh-what in the...

"What on earth is this!!!"

There were shouts from Terinne, a mix of anger and something indescribable...

*Chime♪*

~ Guild Rewards ~

“Slaying monsters” ×5 sheets: 100 silver coins + additional reward 1352 coins.

Purchase of dropped items: 12 copper coins, 78 silver coins, 70 copper coins.

(Details: Quest success reward 100 silver coins,

Additional reward 1352 silver coins,

200 copper coins for 100 Crude Short Swords,

10 copper coins for 5 Crude Hatchets,

10 copper coins for 10 Crude Clubs,

30 copper coins for 10 Crude Spears,

20 copper coins for 20 Crude Round Shields,

100 copper coins for 20 Crude Long Halberds,

5 gold coins for Lesser Treant's Fragrant Wood,

7 gold coins and 48 silver coins for various colored magic stones.)

...That's all.

"Yay, it's a fortune!"

"Yeah, look at this! Klaus, you──"

Huh?

"...Did you just call me by my first name?"

"Umm... Klaus-san."

Terrine cleared her throat lightly. She gave a small, not-at-all amused smile and said,

"...Who's going to appraise all this now? Or have you ever thought about how much trouble this will be for the guild staff?"

"Eh? But──"

"Tch."

Did she just click her tongue...?

For some reason, I was glared at with a fierce scowl, so I hastily made my exit.

...What's with that?

(I just did my job, you know!!)

"...Oh well, the sun is still high, might as well pick up another quest while I'm at it."

"That's what I mean."

Apologies.

Klaus, avoiding Terryne's sharp gaze, checked the notice board. 

The normalization of the "Mist Forest" was already written there.

(...Well, I've verified enough. Maybe it's time for me to get serious.)

Certainly, there were still plenty of requests for preserving salted meat from lower-level hunting grounds.

── I've gotten used to both "Automatic Resource Collection" and "Automatic Combat" features.

(Something tells me the Guild Master and Terrine are already suspicious of me, so maybe...)

"─Let's just complete as many quests as possible."

Once the decision was made,

"Alright...!"

Klaus slammed his fist into his palm, brimming with determination!

Checking the unpopular hunting grounds on the notice board, he systematically took on quests from all the lower-level hunting grounds, including preserving meat and extermination quests, pulling them off the request board one by one.

"This one, and this one, and this one──"

Quests from the "Poisonous Marsh,"

Quests from the "Valley of Lament,"

Quests from the "Twilight Mine"

I'll tackle all the nearby unpopular hunting grounds!

Hehehe.

Listen, Liz.

"I'll be coming home late today──prepare the bath and dinner for me!!"

My dear little sister, please understand.

"──Lizzzzzz!! I won't hold back anymoooooore!"

And finally!!

Klaus's triumphant onslaught of lower-level quests opens a new chapter!

Spaaawwn!!

"...Stop being so reserved! And don't shout in the guild! It's creepy!!"

Despite Terrine's fierce retort, Klaus continued to accept a massive number of quests.

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