A Middle-Aged Man Becomes the Strongest in Another World: The Physical Specialized Awakener - Chapter 4

It’s my third day in this new world. 

Like yesterday, I started the day with breakfast, then headed back to my temporary training spot in the woods. To kick things off, I tried smashing a thick tree trunk with my mace and ended up carving out nearly half of the trunk.

There’s no way a regular human could do that. If this is the power of an ‘Awakened’ adventurer, then I can see why people like us are expected to fight monsters. Though honestly, I still have no idea how dangerous monsters really are.

Anyway, my goal for today is simple: try leveling up each of yesterday’s skills by one point. So I started running, sprinting, jumping, and swinging my mace just like yesterday.

By early afternoon, I’d managed to increase every skill by one level, except for ‘Aura Sense.’ Honestly, it all felt a little too easy. The guide never mentioned how often skills level up… maybe I should ask a more experienced adventurer sometime if they’re willing to share.

To wrap up, I headed deeper into the forest to train ‘Aura Sense.’

From what I’ve figured out, this skill seems like a fusion of all five senses; sight, hearing, smell, touch, working together to pick up tiny changes in the environment. It lets you vaguely sense where living things are, like an animal several meters ahead.

As I walked, I kept my focus sharp, trying to detect the presence of small animals or insects.

Hmm. Something’s on the ground about five meters ahead. Long and thin, probably a snake.

Up in the trees, I spot a small animal. Looks like that squirrel-like creature from yesterday. As I got closer, it leapt to another tree and disappeared.

Twenty meters ahead, there’s something big. About the size of a dog… Wait, is that a boar? No… a wild dog!?

I didn’t even have time to react before it let out a sharp growl, “GRAAUGH!” and charged at me through the trees. It looked like a dog, but its proportions were off, its upper body was too muscular, and its upward-pointing fangs jutted out from its jaw.

I remembered reading about this in the guide. That’s a monster called a Boarwolf.

Climbing a tree… No good. My legs won’t move!

The Boarwolf was already right in front of me. No choice but to fight. I dropped into a low stance, raised my buckler, and braced myself.

“GUAAAH!”

At the moment of impact, I thrust my buckler forward with my left hand and jabbed with my mace at the same time. No finesse, just pure desperation to push the monster back. The collision rocked my whole left side. I avoided a direct hit, maybe thanks to the pushback, but the impact still sent me flying a couple of meters.

My vision spun wildly but I couldn’t afford to stay down. I forced myself up and of course, the Boarwolf was still right there. I instinctively swung my mace at the side of its face. There was a heavy thud, and the beast let out a shriek. “KRIIII!” I hit it hard, its eye area was torn open. A lucky shot.

The Boarwolf staggered, thrashing wildly. I swung my mace down again, aiming for it as it flailed. It was hard to land clean hits on a moving target. But with each swing, I could feel my mind cooling down, sharpening.

Yeah… Stay calm. Watch carefully. Don’t go for a kill shot right away, go for the legs first. 

It was a strange feeling. I’d never hit a living creature before, but somehow, I was calm, too calm for a moment like this. I swung my mace sideways. Crack! The Boarwolf’s front leg shattered. It collapsed. I brought my mace down on its head.

Its whole body spasmed once, then went completely still, like someone pulled its power cord.

“Did I… win?” Panting, I dropped to one knee and used my mace like a cane to support myself.

The Boarwolf didn’t move an inch. Yeah, I definitely beat it.

“…Weren’t monsters not supposed to appear outside dungeons around here?”

That’s what the guide said. Monsters should only show up inside dungeons around this area. That’s why I chose this place to train in the first place.

“Ugh… crap, this is bad.” I looked down, my outer left thigh was gashed open. Must’ve been hit by its fangs during the charge. I pulled a canteen from my pack and washed the wound. “Right… the potion.”

I remembered the advice from that young adventurer this morning and had bought two potions just in case. I pulled one out, popped it open, and poured it directly over the wound, just like the old shopkeeper told me to.

“It stings like hell!” But it worked. Before my eyes, the gash started sealing up like watching a video play in reverse. In less than a minute, the wound was completely gone, except for the torn fabric of my slacks.

“…Phew. That saved me.” I let myself fall backward, sitting on the forest floor in relief.

Looking again, the Boarwolf was massive, probably the size of a large dog. Can’t believe I actually beat that thing. “Now then… since this monster wasn’t killed inside a dungeon, I’ll need to haul it back with me.”

I tried to remember what the guide said. When monsters are defeated inside a dungeon, their bodies disappear, absorbed back into the dungeon, leaving only some materials behind. 

But outside, in the “field,” to use game terms, the corpse stays intact. You can use the body in all sorts of ways, but you’ve got to carry it yourself.

After resting for five minutes, I stood up and tried lifting the Boarwolf. 

It looked like it should weigh around 100 kilos, but it barely felt heavy. Thanks to my Awakening and strength-based skills, no doubt. “So… this is my first real job as an adventurer, huh?”

With the Boarwolf slung over my shoulder, I started walking back to Tolson.

When I walked into the Adventurer’s Guild carrying the Boarwolf, the receptionist’s eyes went wide. She immediately led me to the dismantling room in the back. The townspeople also stared at me in shock. I guess monsters appearing outside dungeons really is rare around here.

Out of curiosity, I asked the receptionist, “If monsters don’t show up around here, why do you even have a dismantling room?”

She smiled awkwardly. “It’s not that they never appear. Just very rarely, seems like you got unlucky.”

“I see. By the way, my name’s Okuno”

“Yes, Mr. Okuno. Our staff will handle the dismantling now. Please wait here and this is your claim ticket, so don’t lose it.”

As she placed the Boarwolf on the dismantling table, she handed me a wooden tag.

“Um, could you tell me how this monster will be processed?”

“Of course. Our staff will dismantle the Boarwolf. It has a lot of usable parts, so we’ll assess the materials and give you a price. The guild will then buy it from you. We’ll also deduct part of the payment for your loan repayment.”

“Got it. Any idea how much I’ll get, roughly?”

“Hmm… Boarwolves usually go for around 700,000 rom.”

“Wow, that’s quite a bit.”

I’d borrowed 300,000 rom when I first registered. Rom seems to be close in value to Japanese yen, so 700,000 is no small amount. I have no idea what a real wild boar would sell for in Japan, but this doesn’t seem like a bad deal.

“It’s rare to get monsters from outside the dungeon, so their meat is considered special.”

“Oh? Does it taste different?”

“Apparently. I’ve only ever eaten dungeon meat, so I wouldn’t know,” she said with a wry smile.

So there’s still class differences in this world too. Looks like this country is some kind of monarchy with a strict social hierarchy.

“By the way, Mr. Okuno… you’ve only been an adventurer for three days, right? Taking down a Boarwolf alone is amazing. Were you a soldier or something before?”

“Eh? No, I was more of a… merchant, I guess. Definitely had nothing to do with combat.”

“Really? Then maybe you’ve got natural talent for this. Keep it up!”

“Thanks. I’ll read the adventurer guide again while I wait.” I thanked her and headed off to the guild’s library, a place most adventurers apparently never use.

Eventually, I received 450,000 rom and returned to the inn. The amount was lower because my loan had been repaid in full.

On the way back, I bought new potions and replaced my torn slacks. The tailor offered a decent trade-in price for the old ones, saying the fabric was rare. Makes sense, modern Japanese materials must seem luxurious here.

I also decided to prep some armor for tomorrow’s dungeon trip. At the armory, I ordered a chestplate, gauntlets, and shin guards. They just needed minor adjustments and would be ready by morning.

Lying on my bed, I stretched and noticed something strange. Compared to this morning, my body feels stronger, like I’ve leveled up. I sensed it when I was carrying the Boarwolf too. It feels like my body changed after the fight.

“Did I… level up?”

The guide says adventurers grow stronger through battle, but I thought it was just about skills. Looks like you can get stronger physically, too. Maybe Awakening grants various kinds of power. If both my body and skills keep improving, I might actually become something superhuman.

Even an F-rank like me managed to defeat a monster alone. That means D-rank adventurers in this town might already be beyond human.

Come to think of it, I remember reading that adventurers who use their power to harm others without just cause face severe punishment. And rightfully so, if someone abused this kind of strength, it’d be a disaster.

But then again… that also means there must be people who try. I’ll have to stay alert for that.

Anyway, based on today’s training and battle, here’s the list of skills I think I gained:

Adventurer Level: 2

Weapon Skills

• Mace Lv.3

• Dagger Lv.2

Defense Skills

• Buckler Lv.2

Physical Skills

• Stamina Lv.3

• Strength Lv.3

• Speed Lv.3

• Agility Lv.3

• Reflexes Lv.3

Sensory Skills

• Vision Lv.2

• Hearing Lv.2

• Smell Lv.2

• Touch Lv.2

• Dynamic Vision Lv.2

• Aura Sense Lv.3

Mental Skills

• Calm Mind Lv.1

If I assume the Boarwolf battle gave me a level-up, and that each skill increased by one point from training, this all makes sense. That moment in the fight where I suddenly became calm, that must be a new skill too. Let’s call it “Calm Mind Lv.1.”

Thinking about it like this, feels like I’m still dreaming. But the sting of my wound, the shock of the fight, it all tells me this is real. People say life is full of surprises, but I doubt many get this kind of surprise.