A Middle-Aged Man Becomes the Strongest in Another World: The Physical Specialized Awakener - Chapter 8

Adventurer Level: 4

Weapon Skills

• Mace: Lv. 5

• Dagger: Lv. 3

Armor Skills

• Buckler: Lv. 5

Physical Abilities

• Stamina: Lv. 5

• Strength: Lv. 6

• Speed: Lv. 5

• Agility: Lv. 6

• Reflexes: Lv. 5

Sensory Abilities

• Vision: Lv. 4

• Hearing: Lv. 3

• Smell: Lv. 3

• Touch: Lv. 3

• Dynamic Vision: Lv. 5

• Aura Sense: Lv. 5

Mental Abilities

• Calm Mind: Lv. 3

• Sharp Mind: Lv. 2

If I want to make the most out of this second life, I need to get stronger, no exceptions. 

With that reality in mind, I decided to push myself a bit harder. I started training before sunrise, knowing full well it might be overkill. When I tried swinging the dark metal rod outside town, I realized it was way tougher than expected.

I mean, the thing weighs more than I do. Just swinging it requires careful control of balance and momentum, it’s not as simple as it sounds. Oddly enough, just using it like a dumbbell isn’t all that challenging anymore. Looks like I’m really starting to go beyond normal human limits.

After experimenting with different exercises using the rod, I confirmed that it really helps boost my skill growth. Then I ate one of the skewered meat sticks I’d stocked up on. Cold and tough, but still edible. Protein is protein. It’ll probably help with muscle growth, probably.

Once the sun came up, I made my way to Big Boulder Dungeon. Training is important, but I also need to make money. 

I’ve already memorized the path to the third basement floor. My stats improved this morning, so I should be able to fight better than yesterday. Without hesitation, I descended to the third floor.

The goblins, five of them, showed up almost immediately. I didn’t bother with any tricks and just swung my mace sideways. Three goblins on the right went flying. The two on the left were stunned after having their clubs knocked away. I quickly took them out before they could recover.

Huh. So brute force does work.

Next, I ran into four Rock Lizards. They charged at me with their jaws wide open. Going head-to-head would’ve been bad, so I sidestepped left and slammed the mace into the leftmost one, scooping it up like a shovel.

The other three tried to turn toward me, but because I’d moved left, they ended up in a line, making them easy targets. I hit each one with a counter-blow to the side of the head and finished them off with no trouble.

Positioning really is everything against slower monsters.

Whoa… I feel like my mind just got even sharper. Let’s keep going on the third floor.

In the end, I confirmed that I can handle the third floor just fine. More monsters means more income. I got a little overconfident and got my leg bitten by a Rock Lizard once, but I killed it quickly and used a potion, so it wasn’t a big deal.

After taking down a solid number of goblins and Rock Lizards, I leveled up and found the entrance to the fourth floor. I decided to call it a day at that point.

I still had time left, so of course I hit the “training grounds” on the way back.

“Mr. Okuno, are you sure you’re not overdoing it?” At the guild, Kisara the receptionist looked suspiciously at me and the huge haul I turned in. 

She’s probably right, I might’ve pushed it a little today. But admitting that would be annoying, so I played it cool. “Nah, I don’t think I’m overdoing it. My body feels fine.”

“But… those torn pants around your leg, looks like bite marks to me.”

Wow, she’s sharp. Can’t slip anything past a pro. “Oh, yeah, that’s from a bite. But I had potions ready, so I’m good.”

“You know, the first three months are the most dangerous for adventurers. Please be careful, okay?”

“Thanks. I’m not exactly in a hurry to die, so I’ll be cautious.”

I accepted a reward of over 100,000 rom while casually glancing at the bulletin board to change the subject. The board usually lists information on monsters found in the dungeon. But every now and then, requests for monster hunts in the field appear.

Those jobs don’t usually involve newbies like me, especially at F-rank.

“Oh right! There’s a goblin extermination request up right now. A small goblin settlement was discovered nearby. I was thinking the E-rank party ‘Silver Wheel’ might take it, but Mr. Okuno, would you be interested?”

“Huh?” That offer came out of nowhere. Silver Wheel, that’s the party led by that helpful young man I met before. “They wouldn’t mind having me?”

“Actually, it’s beneficial for E-rank and higher adventurers to help train rookies. They get guild points for it.”

“Points?”

“Yeah. You need them to rank up. The guild is really pushing rookie development right now, so it’s part of that.”

“So if they take me along, they get points?”

“Exactly. And since you seem to get along well with Kaim, it seemed like a good fit. Plus, participating in a field request helps you earn points, too.”

“Hmm…” This actually sounds like a great opportunity. I’ve never done a field mission before, and I’m curious about a goblin settlement. More importantly, I’d get to see how an E-rank party fights up close.

“Alright. If Silver Wheel agrees, I’d love to join.”

“Great! I’ll talk to them once they return today.”

Just like that, I got my first monster extermination mission lined up.

“Hey old man, looks like you’re coming with us to smash that goblin village.”

As I was eating in the dining hall, Kaim showed up, fresh from his latest outing. Now that I got a better look, he’s a decently handsome guy with short brown hair and a solid build.

“Oh, you accepted? Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Well, it’s good points for us too. And you don’t seem like you’ll do anything stupid.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll follow your lead. It’s my first time on a mission like this, after all.”

“This is how you climb to E-rank. We head out the day after tomorrow. Make sure you’re ready by then. Bring at least three potions, food for three days, and don’t forget a water bottle. We’ll be able to refill it at a village along the way.”

“Got it. What’s the schedule like?”

“Day 1: travel to the area. Day 2 morning: wipe out the settlement. If things go smoothly, we’ll head back to Tolson right after. If not, we’ll spend another night in the village.”

“Understood. Anything else?”

“Well, we’ll be sleeping outside, so you might want a cloak or something. You’re a guy, as long as you’ve got food and sleep, you’ll manage.”

“True. Thanks, I’ll prepare everything.”

“Cool. See ya.”

Kaim waved and headed to his room. He really is the helpful type. I got lucky meeting him first. After finishing my meal, I dragged myself back to my room, fighting off the sleepiness from getting up so early.

Next morning, I started training before sunrise again.

That dark metal rod is seriously useful. Once I’ve saved more money, I might even buy a second one. That said, I need to be careful with it. Just carrying one into the inn makes the floors creak like crazy. Two rods would probably break the floor entirely. 

Apparently, there’s a skill that helps manage stuff like this, but who knows how many dungeon bosses I’d have to beat to unlock it.

Kaim and his team were taking the day off, but I went back to Big Boulder Dungeon. I need to keep gaining experience, otherwise, anxiety starts creeping in. I planned to leave a little early today to prep for the mission.

The third floor is no problem now. Goblins go down before they can even swing, just from straight-up mace attacks. I don’t know how big the goblin settlement will be, but at least I won’t be a burden on Kaim’s E-rank party in battle.

On the way back, I tried something new at the “training grounds,” I wanted to see if I could gain a skill in hand-to-hand combat.

Back in high school, we only touched on kendo and judo in gym class. But against monsters, it seems like striking arts would be more practical.

I spent an hour doing basic punching drills using what little I knew. Suddenly, my punches started feeling much smoother. Looks like I unlocked Martial Arts Lv. 1. I tried practicing kicks for another hour, and sure enough, I hit Martial Arts Lv. 2.

The sun was starting to set, so I hurried back to town.