Chapitre 3: Training Grounds For New Recruits
The Next Day.
I arrived promptly at the F-rank dungeon near the Sylphid territory known as the New Recruits' Training Ground with the short sword I brought from home.
[Short Sword]
A straightforward sword.Recommended Equipment Level: 1Attack Power +3
Calculating Cleon's attack power involves a complex formula, but for front-line roles like mine, it's essentially synonymous with strength. While a +3 in attack power is relatively modest, it's certainly a noteworthy figure, especially in the early stages.
"If I defeat a few monsters along the way and level up a bit, I should be ready to challenge the boss."
With determination in my heart, I finally stepped into the New Recruits' Training Ground.
Inside the dungeon lay a dark, ruin-like maze. As I glanced around, a sense of nostalgia softened my cheeks.
"Come to think of it, when was the last time I came to the New Recruits' Training Ground? It must have been when I was here with my main character aiming for the Sword Crest skills."
What surprised me further was that the dungeon's map was almost identical to what I remembered from the game. Even though it had been quite some time since my last conquest, low-rank dungeon maps tended to be quite simple, and my memory was accurate.
"Whoa!"
"――Oops."
Lost in thought, I suddenly encountered my first monster: a goblin, wielding a cudgel, a staple enemy type in RPGs.
"Status."
As I uttered the command, a message window appeared before me.
[Goblin]
Recommended Defeat Level: 5
Only the name and recommended defeat level were displayed. Like Cleon, its stats were quite simplified. Typically, dungeon bosses or named monsters would have more detailed information.
"Anyway, its recommended defeat level is 5."
Currently, I was only at level 1. There was a bit of a gap, but...
"Yeah, no problem."
I nodded confidently.
The reason being: In the combat system of Crest Online, there were three major factors that determined victory or defeat.
Firstly, level, which was a given in any RPG.
Secondly, skills. Skills that could activate various techniques by consuming MP were useful in all sorts of situations.
And finally, player skill. In Crest Online, this factor was just as important as the first two, if not more so. It wasn't all about playtime or how much money you spent; it depended on the player's own abilities and strategies. That was why Crest Online had garnered popularity among a wide range of players.
In that environment, I had managed to reach the pinnacle: world rank #1.
There was no need to elaborate on my player skills; I possessed the utmost ability.
In other words――
"You're not even worth my time."
"Gaaa!"
As the goblin lunged at me with its cudgel, its movements were slow and clumsy.
"Hup!"
"――Huh!?"
"Ha!"
With nimble footwork, I maneuvered behind the enemy, striking down with my sword at its exposed neck.
The critical hit hit its weak point, and the goblin's head flew into the air.
"Yeah, as expected, my experience from Crest Online seems to be applicable in this world too."
Feeling a sense of achievement, I muttered to myself just as the system sound rang out.
"Experience Gained: Level Up to Level 2"
"Received 2 Status Points"
"All right, off to a good start."
Confirming this, I grinned broadly.
At this rate, I should be able to level up smoothly.
With that in mind, as the goblin's body evaporated into a puff of steam, only a small magic stone remained.
"All right, don't forget to collect the magic stone."
Magic stones could be sold for a decent amount of money.
I placed the magic stone into my tool pouch and checked my own status.
Zelos Sylphid
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Crest: [Crest of Nothingness]
Level: 2
HP: 20/20 MP: 10/10
Strength: 2
Endurance: 2
Speed: 2
Intelligence: 2
Luck: 2
Status Points: 2
Skills: None
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone