Randall walked through the familiar town streets of Silentrock until he reached his destination-
The Adventurer's Guild.
Adventurers were, in a manner of speaking, handymen who handled many tasks assigned to them.
These could include gathering herbs, killing pests, finding objects, exploring regions, bounty hunts, escorting caravans, and more.
Randall specifically specialized in killing pests, i.e., Slimes and Giant Rabbits, and was an F-rank adventurer... which really didn't mean much.
After all, children who joined the Adventurer's Guild could effortlessly reach G-rank after a few tasks that proved they were reliable, and hunting Slimes and Giant Rabbits around lvl 1-20 or so was a G-rank pest-control bounty. Anyone who did it enough could reach F-rank.
If not for his overly low attributes, Randal would have loved to take on F-rank requests... but alas, he was considered bottom-tier among the adventurers.
After all, his Body attribute was comparable to a lvl 30 Warrior.
For Commoners, every level increased their 3 attributes by 0.2. For Warriors, their Body improved by 0.5, Finesse by 0.3, and Spirit by 0.2, a full attribute point! Moreover, they had abilities that further improved their body. And most Warriors reached lvl 30... by the age of 14. How was Randel supposed to compete with that?!
Randall was naturally stigmatized due to being abnormal, so no one wanted to form a party with him.
And he also didn't dare try hunting more dangerous monsters, since he couldn't afford getting healed, and without a teammate to watch his back, he might die from a mere flesh wound. At most, he was excellent at running away from danger and kicking things.
"Hah... time to continue hunting pests..." Bitterly thinking this, Randall went to the notice board and looked at the recent happenings.
Being informed was a very important part of being an adventurer. After all, if you went unprepared to a hazardous location, such as spotted Monster Gatherings, invasive high-danger monsters, environmental hazards, and the like, you could die.
"Let's see... lone wolf sightings to the eastern roads... An E-rank party went missing in the northern caverns? Wasn't it an F-rank hunting site with a few E-rank monsters? That doesn't sound good... Increased Goblin activity in the western forest? Not good. Some might enter the rookie hunting fields. But I do see they are organizing an extermination group for tomorrow... So... south, then? Yeah, south it is."
Nodding to himself, Randall didn't immediately leave. Instead, he went to the guild clerk and had her store his travel gear and funds. It was a service the guild provided the adventurers for free as long as they were completing nearby hunting requests. After all, you can't expect anyone to properly hunt and carry proof of subjugation while their bags were full. Of course, if they didn't do anything, the guild would charge them for it.
Randall then headed to the town's eastern gate, which had a wooden wall separating it from the outside world. When Randall reached the gate guard, they nodded at each other.
"Good morning, Julian."
"Good morning, Randall. Heading to hunt?" The guard smiled and asked.
"Yes." Randall nodded.
"Well, good luck." Julian nodded and returned to his duties.
Randall then headed south of town and into the familiar southern fields. Recurring pests, such as slimes and giant rabbits, were a real menace to the farms, damaging crops, hence why there is a permanent bounty on them in the guild. Aside from their Monster Cores, which could sell for some pocket change, and their proofs of subjugation, they also had some monster parts that could be sold for money.
Arriving at the fields, Randall saw some youths, aged between 7 and 12, hunting there for fun.
"Hey, look! It's Randall!"
"Tsk... when will this old guy leave?"
"He's weak after all. Just leave him..."
Under the spiteful and pitying eyes of the youths, as if at the village idiot, Randall used the thick skin he developed over the years to ignore them and went to hunt rabbits and slimes.
Soon, he found his first customer, a blue slime with a tiny red core, munching on grass and approaching the fields. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and lunged at the slime.
Slash* Puchi*
Slimes were more resistant to blunt damage, but a simple cut with a blade was enough.
Slime exp +2
"Tsk... no luck." Randall thought.
Initially, it was very easy to gain abilities. Every kill yielded at least +1, with some reaching +3. But now, it was good if one in every 10 gave one. The EXP gain of slimes also diminished to a tenth, despite adding more and more AP to Progress Through Slaughter.
He made up for it by hunting quantity over quality, but there was a limit to everything.
"I guess I would have to switch to hunting F-rank opponents soon, like Goblins or Wolves... When I think about it, most lvl 30 Warriors can safely hunt them, right?" Randall thought.
He then harvested the worthwhile loot from the slime, which included the Monster Core, which could sell for a Copper Coin, and a piece of slime that could be processed into slime-rubber goods, which sold for 2 Copper Coins but weighed much more.
Then, after hunting two more slimes, he found the next pest, a Giant Rabbit. As the name implies, it is literally a giant rabbit the size of a small hound dog. Its greatest threat is its headbutt and painful kicks, rather than its bite, but Randall was unafraid of it.
"Scree!" The oversized Lagomorpha screeched as it hopped over, wanting to ram Randall.
Woosh* Bam*
With practiced movement, Randall dodged it and kicked its side, sending it rolling. Before it could recover, he charged at it and stabbed it in the neck, killing it.
Rabbit exp +8
Strong Legs +1
"Nice!" Randall grinned.
Unlike the Slimes, Rabbits still seemed to gain more for each kill. However, he guessed it wasn't just because the rabbits were stronger, but also because the Rabbit Class and Rabbit Abilities were lower. For now, he was getting around a third or a fourth of what he got initially, instead of a tenth.
He then dissected the rabbit, taking its monster core, fur pelt, and meat, wrapping the meat in treated leather, before putting everything in his bag and continuing. If calculated, the price of the pelt is around 5 Copper Coins, the meat 3 Copper Coins, and the Monster Core was 2 Copper Coins... Assuming they are of good condition.
But on the downside, it required much more time to process and weighed several pounds, so he would need to go back and forth a few times, wasting his time.
Once done, Randall continued hunting.
Finally, by noon, Randall finished his hunt, killing 30 Slimes and 10 Giant Rabbits and earning 19 Silver Coins. Unfortunately, he couldn't hunt more since there was a limit to how many there were outside. After all, he wasn't the only hunter, and there was a limited quantity.
19 Silver Coins were, without a doubt, not an insignificant amount of money. After all, the average a skilled craftsman earned was about 10-15 Silver Coins a day, and an unskilled day laborer earned 5 Silver Coins.
But it wasn't that much. This was especially true when you considered that not every day was for hunting, and there was always the risk of injury. Moreover, Randall was quite faster than most, so it was easier for him to hunt. In fact, when he started, he barely hunted 5-10 a day.
A simple room at an inn would cost 2 Silver Coins, and 3 meals for a healthy warrior could cost 6-7 Silver Coins in a town tavern, even more in the City. A decent steel sword was worth about 120-130 Silver Coins at the market, and armor likewise cost money. Just the equipment maintenance cost him a few coins each week.
With that said, technically, he should have saved up much more... but starting at age 14, he began paying rent and food in the house, so he only had a little over 500 Silver Coins saved up.
After retrieving his belongings, Randall went to the tavern and ate his meal, sometimes lustfully eyeing the busty barmaid who served food and drinks with a charming smile, but too timid to hit on her.
It was an open secret that she was a part-time prostitute, a bar wench through and through, but he had yet to lay his hands on her...(Mostly because he was strapped for money!)
Sighing, Randall finished eating and went to his room. Once settled, he checked his status.
Status:
Name: Randall Welbek
Age: 18
Primary Class: Progressor lvl 24(31,464/31,753)
Secondary Classes: Slime lvl 82(420/1,876) | Rabbit lvl 57(179/1,022)
AP: 0
Progressor Abilities: Progress Through Training lvl 279, Progress Through Slaughter lvl 100
Slime Abilities: Digestion lvl 584, Shock Absorption lvl 207
Rabbit Abilities: Flee lvl 309, Strong Legs lvl 122
Body: 24.93
Finesse: 25.05
Mind: 25.01
For the time being, Randall only acquired these two classes and four abilities.
The secondary classes granted only AP, being comparable to the Commoner class or other bottom-level secondary professions.
However, for most, obtaining new secondary classes was not without its woes. For one, EXP gain from Monster Cores is split among all secondary classes. This meant the Primary Class had less EXP, meaning fewer attributes.
And secondly, acquiring and training secondary classes takes time and money, things which many do not have.
Randall just happened to bypass these restrictions... even if the abilities are weird.
Slime Ability - Digestion lvl 584:
As a slime, you digest your food faster and more thoroughly, deriving more nutrients and gaining resistance to poison and toxins.
Effects:
Digestion Efficiency +116.8
Ingested poison/toxin resistance +58.4
This was a surprisingly useful ability, as it let Randall avoid over-eating. The downside? He had a hard time getting drunk... which could also be a major plus in a drinking competition.
Slime Ability - Shock Absorption lvl 207:
As a slime, your body can absorb and disperse blunt trauma, which helps resist damage.
Effects:
Blunt Trauma Resistance +41.4
Shockwave Resistance +41.4
It was another weird ability that shouldn't appear on a human. It made Randall more resistant to punches, kicks, and the like. He was once punched by a drunk warrior, straight in the face, but found that he was mostly fine.
Of course, against a dagger or magic, he was hopeless.
Rabbit Ability - Flee lvl 309:
As a rabbit, you must be quick on your feet! Flee when encountering danger, and pounce when you find an opportunity!
Effects:
When fleeing, you are +92.7 faster.
When running or chasing in general, you are +30.9 faster
A very controversial ability that fits a coward. However, being the cautious man that he is, Randall adored it.
Rabbit Ability - Strong Legs lvl 122:
Rabbits have strong legs. They can help you hop better, kick harder, and run faster. As a result, they also require tougher leg toughness.
Effects:
Leg Strength +24.4
Leg Toughness +24.4
This ability provided pure enhancement to the legs, both improving his survival chances and giving him another weapon.
He hoped that he could kill more and more rabbits, those lovable furry bastards!
"Well... time for my daily training," Randall muttered.
And so, he started training in his room, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and even standing upside down in various difficult poses for balance and flexibility.
Finally, only after he was tired, did he hear a familiar sound.
You have performed a fruitful training session.
Body +0.01
Finesse +0.01
Mind +0.01
Through Progress Through Training, you gained +280 EXP
Level Up!
Progressor lvl 24(31,464/31,753) -> 25(1/33,343)
+10 AP
You unlocked the Progressor Ability: Progress Through Fornication lvl 0
Randall's eyes lit up.
"Oh, nice! I unlocked a new ability! And it's called Progress Through Forni- WHAT?!"
Randall felt his jaw slacken as he looked at the ridiculous-sounding ability he just got.
"No, no way... are you for real?" Randall muttered as he checked the ability.
Progressor Ability - Progress Through Fornication lvl 0:
The path to progress is strewn with (female) bodies! Put your hips to it and plow your way through, leaving a trail of sticky white on the path of advancement!
Effects:
By having sex with a woman, you gain her Primary Class as your Secondary Class. Additionally, obtain Secondary exp and Secondary Ability Levels.
Gains are dependent on ability level, strength difference, and satisfaction.
"Eh... It's the same as Progress Through Slaughter, just that it is focused on... sex? No, it also added satisfaction? So I need to satisfy her? Or myself? Or both?" Randall scratched his head.
It was very vague on this. But it did solve the question of how he was supposed to acquire Human classes without murdering people.
However, it did leave a tricky problem for Randall to solve...
"So... as a Virgin, how am I supposed to bed women? Sure, a prostitute could do at first, and perhaps a wife if anyone was willing... but I need stronger women, and they are not exactly easy... to... bed..."
Randall suddenly fell silent as he thought about a certain type of existence that was, in fact, VERY easy to bed... with a catch.
"Don't tell me... Am I supposed to do it with Monster Girls? But they would capture me and turn me into their communal husband and repeatedly rape me... Or heck, even drain me to death... well, but I hear you would get unimaginable pleasure, so it doesn't sound too bad- no, it is bad! Very bad!" Randall shook his head, slapping himself twice.
There were more than one or two wayward fools who fell into this open flytrap.
Getting on his knees, he started praying.
"Urallias, forgive me for these sinful thoughts..."
After he finished praying, Randall got up.
"Well... for now, it is better to just focus on killing monsters. If a chance arrives later, it wouldn't be too late to raise it..."
With that, he dumped the 10 AP into Progress Through Slaughter and went to sleep.
.
.
.
August 19th, 1774th ME.
In the Adventurer's Guild-
Randall went to the reception and spoke.
"I want to join the Goblin Extermination group."