The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 4: A Wonderful Monster

Episode 4: A Wonderful Monster

Each time the wooden swords clashed, something stirred deep in my heart. What started out as a warm-up level mock battle gradually began to heat up. Before I realized it, it had turned into a serious clash.

A bead of sweat slid down my forehead. I should be out of breath. And yet, my body felt strangely light. In fact, I even felt like my senses were sharpening.

As I blocked one of Gilius’ powerful strikes, my conviction grew stronger.

(This is it. This is the “battle” I was searching for…)

――――After the mock battle ended, Gilius stared at me intently and said:

“…Hey. Are you really a beginner?”

“Ah, yes. This is my first time fighting.”

Still soaking in the afterglow of the mock battle, I answered his question.

Strictly speaking, I had received some basic noble self-defense training… but this was the first time I had taken this kind of action on my own.

The character “Alphonse Clichard” hadn’t been focused on combat. After all, in his mind, everything was about winning over Leticia, the main heroine and protagonist.

――Gilius raised an eyebrow and slowly crossed his arms.

“You serious…? You saw the signal I gave during the fight, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sort of.”

“‘Sort of’? Normally you’d stop right then. I mean it—stop. I honestly thought my life was in danger.”

Even as he said that, there was a glint in Gilius’ eyes.

“Well, fine… at the very least, it seems like your talent is real. But—next time, don’t actually try to kill me, okay? Gave me a heart attack.”

His joke made my heart flutter just a little.

Something inside me was beginning to take clearer shape.

Gilius looked at me somewhat cautiously. Yet there was also a hint of recognition in his eyes. But more than that—

(This world… is definitely going to be fun…!)

◆

――And so, the guild orientation ended without incident.

When I returned to the front desk, the receptionist greeted me with a smile.

“Good work today. With this, your official adventurer registration is complete — you’ll be starting from F rank.”

“Thank you — in that case, I’d like to take a quest.”

“Certainly. Ah, before that — here are your starter supplies for completing registration. You’ll receive an item pack, a wooden sword, leather chest armor, and a small knife for material gathering. There’s no penalty for using or damaging them. So please use them freely.”

I received the bundle, wooden sword, and leather armor handed to me. I then peeked inside.

“…It’s light.”

Murmuring that as I held the bundle, I checked the support items.

These were apparently one-time supplies given to new adventurers after completing orientation. All packed into a small pouch. Inside were 3 basic potions and 1 status effect recovery potion.

“They’re for beginners. But they’re light and easy to use. And they’re perfect for your first material gathering trip.”

I only murmured, but the receptionist seemed to have heard me clearly.

“Well then — once again. Here is the list of currently available quests.”

Request slips were laid out on the table.

Among them, I searched only for the “guiding markers” I had in mind.

(…There it is. The “Miasma Rat” extermination request.)

Miasma Rat. A low-profile monster with terrible item drops. All it does is spew poison. Frankly, it’s a nightmare for beginners. But for me… it’s different.

(This thing is a gold mine, if you know the game…)

The Miasma Rat was the first “combat event” tutorial monster that appeared in the game.

It had low HP. But it came with lots of status effects and multi-hit attacks.

In the original game, it was used to teach players the dangers of status effects and the importance of evasion and resistances.

This monster, if certain conditions are met, could yield “Poison Resistance,” “Physical Resistance,” and “Accuracy Boost” — all critical early-game skills.

(But the issue is securing healing methods…)

To obtain those skills, I’d have to remove my own status effects and heal the damage sustained in battle.

I couldn’t even begin without that—

But conveniently, I just received some potions.

(Then there’s no reason not to go!)

“I’ll take this request.”

Without hesitation, I picked up the request slip.

The receptionist blinked in surprise.

“…The ‘Miasma Rat extermination’, correct? Um… just to confirm, are you planning to head out right away?”

“Of course.”

(Miasma Rat — the monster best suited for fulfilling the conditions for “Physical Resistance,” “Poison Resistance,” and “Accuracy Boost”…!)

Each hit from a Miasma Rat is weak. But that’s exactly why it’s perfect for practicing defense.

It uses poison attacks and has movements that test your accuracy—

Which means there’s a chance to obtain skills.

(“Poison Resistance”… “Physical Resistance”… “Accuracy Boost”… I can aim for all of them… If I do it right, my combat ability will skyrocket in one go!)

I shivered with excitement.

This is the ultimate pleasure for someone who understands a combat system inside and out.

――In this world, you don’t gain skills just by practicing.

You must repeat specific actions that meet certain conditions to “unlock” new skills. And only then can you use and experience them to make them grow.

For example, “Physical Resistance” requires taking a certain number of physical hits within a set time.

“Poison Resistance” requires surviving while poisoned for a certain amount of time, or being poisoned frequently.

As for “Accuracy Boost,” you have to keep hitting fast-moving enemies accurately.

“Um… Are you sure you’re prepared? Miasma Rats are a bit unusual even for F rank monsters… They’re not ideal for beginners who have little defense against status effects…”

“That’s fine. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m hoping for!”

(Well, originally, I wanted to get “Constant Activity” first…)

“Constant Activity” is a skill that reduces stamina drain—essentially preventing fatigue and keeping physical performance from dropping.

In the game, it was essential for long battles.

In this real world, it probably makes you tireless.

Meaning I’d have even more time for combat.

But to obtain “Constant Activity” the normal way would take an insane amount of time.

There is a method to get it quickly—

But it requires fighting a specific monster in a specific place.

That place is the 《Miasma Plain》.

It’s filled with poisonous fog. And without proper resistance, even taking a single step would drop your HP to zero.

(But that place had tons of rare monsters you couldn’t find elsewhere. And it was perfect for both skill acquisition and leveling…)

I can’t go there yet.

But it’s worth preparing now for when I can.

Because—

(That place has the perfect monster for acquiring “Constant Activity”!)

That’s right. The skill I most want to get, “Constant Activity.”

The ideal monster for unlocking it is in the Miasma Plain.

Honestly, I’d go there right now if I could.

But going in recklessly will kill me without decent “Poison Resistance” or “Physical Resistance.”

Without poison resistance, you take massive damage just from walking.

Even with resistance, if the skill level’s low, you won’t survive.

And the monsters there all have poison-infused attacks, plus high attack power.

Go in unprepared and it’s game over.

So… I just need to change the priority.

First, I’ll get the skills and level them up through the Miasma Rats.

Then I’ll head for the Miasma Plain.

“W-Well then — your Miasma Rat extermination request is officially accepted. …Please, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“Understood. …But I won’t push myself. I just want to fight.”

“…?”

I turned my back to the confused receptionist and opened the guild’s doors.

The sky was clear and the fresh air brushed my cheek.

(Alright—time to earn it. This thing called “experience” in this world…)

I started walking—

Toward the place where the best skill development event, called “Miasma Rats”, awaited me.

Original Author’s Comment:

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Thank you for reading this far!!

If you enjoyed it, Alphonse will be super happy!! (?)