Editing/Standardisation: kubor04
Formatting/Extras: APM
Original Translation: Blastron
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<Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Appraisal – LV2] has become [Appraisal – LV3]>
Aha, that leveled up pretty quickly! Not very much time has passed since I started spamming [Appraisal] everywhere. This got way easier once I stopped being such a shut-in… Man, I’ve got some serious mixed feelings about this.
Well, regardless, it leveled! This is the best thing I could have hoped for. Now then, now then, what shall level three reveal? I immediately try to appraise myself.
{Small Lesser Taratect – LV 5 – no name}
It’s showing my level! Yaaaay… …hahhh. Well, a plus is a plus, but… at what point is this skill going to actually be useful?
Mmm. Really, I have no idea how strong my species is supposed to be. Compared to everything else in this dungeon, how strong is a {Small Lesser Taratect}?
As soon as I finished that thought, new information popped into my brain.
{Small Lesser Taratect: A Taratect hatchling of an inferior breed.}
What… was that? Did… did I just appraise the name of my species, which I got from [Appraisal]? Did I just double-appraise?! Oooh. Did I just discover a really important little trick to this skill? Let’s test it, let’s test it! I activate [Appraisal] once again.
{Taratect: A species of spider-like monster.}
It worked! This is amazing! If [Appraisal] spits out some new word that I don’t know yet, I can appraise it! Ahaa!! Sure, the explanation is pretty short, and it’s definitely not giving me all of the information, but if I keep leveling this up, it’s going to be crazy good, isn’t it?! Just appraising one thing will let me pull up fact after fact! Ha-HA! Mister [Appraisal], I’m sorry for saying you were useless! I will put my full efforts into leveling you up!
Now then, once my [Appraisal]-driven high wore off, I eventually became aware of two fairly important problems. Specifically: I’m hungry! And tired! That’s basically it. It makes sense though; I fled my home at top speed and have been wandering the dungeon ever since, so it’s only natural that I could use a snack and some sleep.
It’s not like I can’t deal with it for a little while longer, but eventually I will need to eat something and find someplace to sleep. Both of these tasks share the same stumbling block though: other monsters. If I want to eat, I need to find a monster, kill it, and eat it. Conversely, if I want to sleep, I need to find a place where monsters can’t find me. This is a real catch-22. Mmm.
Ah! There might be a solution to both of these problems: when it’s time for me to go to sleep, I’ll put together a much simpler home and sleep in that. That will kill two birds with one stone: I’ll be able to sleep in relative safety, and if a monster blunders in and gets stuck, I’ll get breakfast for free.
It’s just that… a little while ago, I said that I wanted to do as much hunting for my food as I could manage. Building a simple home to sleep in is basically mandatory, but while I’m awake I really should try to find a battle. Ultimately, my temporary home shouldn’t be for the purposes of hunting. It should pretty much just be a safe place to get some sleep. Ah, well, if something gets caught in my web, I’m not going to refuse to eat it, haha.
Until then, let’s keep wandering around the dungeon in search of a monster!
Found one!
{Elroe Frog – LV 3}
It seems that I’m destined to find nothing but frogs: at the end of the hallway I’ve been sneaking through, I can see yet another one of the things. It’s got its back turned to me, at the moment, and it doesn’t look like it’s noticed me yet. Could I maybe kill it with a sneak attack?
Of course, as soon as I think that, it spots me. Tch.
Hisssssss!
I start off with intimidation.
Ptoo!
Wha-!? Hey, you, don’t just suddenly shoot your acid at me! I was barely able to dodge that!
Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!
Don’t keep shooting!! Ahh, aaah, ooof! I can’t dodge all of these! Ow! Oww! I’ve got some resistance now, so this doesn’t hurt nearly as much as it did the first time, but this! Still! Hurtsss! You jerk, how was I supposed to know you were this aggressive when you weren’t stuck in a web?!
Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!
Wait, wait! Gaaah! Another one got through to me! This is bad! The way things are going, this is going to be extremely one-sided! I’ve got only one option: suicide rush!!
Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!
Hah, as if you can hit me again with the same attack! I’ve seen through your moves: your limit is three shots at a time! Don’t take me too lightly, frog! I possess the analytic eye of a true gamer, and was once compared to the great Idaten! I dodge the poison spit as I rush in, then swing my claws down at the frog!
Grr, as I expected, it manages to dodge, but as it jumps out of the way it lashes out at me with its tongue!
Splat!
OWW! The tongue strikes me with crushing force. And, of course! It’s covered in acid too! Not only was this a heavy blow, I’m feeling a sizzling pain! Ohhhh, this is a serious wound. If I had a health bar, it would be flashing bright red right now. If I take one more hit like that, I’m done for.
Heh, it’s not like that’s going to happen, though.
I’ve already won.
After all, before the frog jumped away, I’d laced the surroundings with my webs.
It’s quite simple, really. As I was dodging the acid spit attacks, I was trailing threads out onto the ground behind me. Usually, if I’m not careful, I wind up unconsciously dropping thread onto the ground behind me as I walk. This time, though, I made use of it. I made the silk that I was spewing out very sticky, and forced the frog to jump onto it. My claw attack was specifically aimed to force it to dodge towards my trap. I didn’t expect it to counter-attack in midair, though.
The frog lands and immediately gets stuck. Mercilessly, I wrap it up tightly with more and more thread, until there was only one thing left to do.
Chomp!
I have just won (albeit by a very slim margin) my first actual fight.
APM - Translation 