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 6: Subjugation, and the First Reward

Episode 6: Subjugation, and the First Reward

The Miasma Rats had appeared to flinch for a moment. They all now rushed in at once.

I readied my sword and charged in.

The enemy was a pack. But I was now on the side that hunts the pack.

First one—horizontal slash to the neck.

Second one—dodged as it leapt and slashed diagonally upward into its belly.

Third one—while pulling out my sword, I swung it straight back and swept it away.

The feeling of the hunt spread through my whole body.

I could read the enemy’s movements.

“The game’s mechanics” and “the experience of this body” fused. It was making the battle more and more enjoyable.

(Ahh… yes. This is the kind of battle I wanted.)

Since I was stepping forward—one step, two steps—the poison was spreading and my HP was slowly decreasing.

But I already had “Poison Resistance: Lv.2.”

In a battle of this level, I didn’t need to worry too much.

“—And that’s the last one!”

I swung my sword and sent the Miasma Rats flying all at once.

At the same time, the miasma leaked out. And the air quieted.

Eventually, the miasma faded away—

Victory.

(I’m alive. This moment—it’s irresistible.)

I caught my breath and pulled out one status recovery potion.

I opened the bottle and drank it all in one go.

(Ugh, bitter!)

The potion had a distinct bitterness and smelled of herbs.

But the feeling of the poison pain slowly fading was pleasant.

(And poison’s cleared…)

I exhaled.

Then, facing the rats lying on the ground, I pulled out the small knife that had been supplied and readied it.

“Well then… time to harvest the materials.”

Miasma Rat materials—“Poison Sacs,” “Beast Fangs,” “Miasma Fur,” and so on—all of them are in demand for medicine and equipment materials.

Thanks to the guild lectures, I knew exactly what to do.

(I guess being this efficient is also thanks to the training…)

After finishing the work, I packed the materials into the bag.

(Everything went as planned. Except—)

I looked back at the previous battle—

Just as I thought, it wasn’t there.

(I still haven’t gotten “Accuracy Boost.”)

I furrowed my brows slightly.

I had grasped the rats’ behavior and movement. And I had the “feeling” of aiming and hitting with the sword.

But that wasn’t enough apparently—

I needed to increase the “number of attempts.”

In the game, “Accuracy Boost” was a skill that simply increased your attack accuracy.

Some monsters had low hit rates. So it helped when attacks didn’t land easily.

No matter how powerful an attack is, it means nothing if it misses…

Which is exactly why I definitely wanted to acquire Accuracy Boost.

(…Alright.)

No hesitation.

Once again, I stepped into the depths of the old drainage passage.

What spread out before me was stagnant miasma, and the same lurking presences as before.

But I didn’t need to fear them.

The hand holding my sword was calmer than earlier—

And at the same time, it was clearly burning with heat.

(Until I get the Accuracy Boost skill.)

What repeated over and over in my head was the feeling from earlier.

Enemy movements, breathing, the timing of their leaps.

Just “understanding” it isn’t enough.

You have to land the hit, you have to not miss.

That is the essence of combat.

—Second battle, then third…

Before I knew it, I’d lost count.

Amid the miasma, I calmly read the enemies’ behavior, didn’t miss even the slightest shift in movement, and swung my sword.

Land the hit. Aim and hit. Absolutely do not miss—

That obsession dwelled at the tip of my blade.

Whether it was due to the effect of “Academics: Lv.3” or not, enemies that attacked in predictable patterns held no fear for me.

—And finally:

《Skill Acquired: Accuracy Boost》

《Skill: Accuracy Boost Lv.1 》

(Yes… that completes the trio!)

Poison Resistance, Physical Resistance, Accuracy Boost.

All the skills I could aim for from the Miasma Rats—now obtained.

Just tutorial monsters?

No—these guys were the “keys to getting stronger.”

I wondered how many fights it had taken.

While mentally calculating based on the materials gathered and casually brushing off dirt, I started walking toward the guild.

◆

I arrived at the guild and submitted the materials at the counter.

The receptionist widened her eyes in surprise.

“Eh… You did all this by yourself?”

“Yes. I’ve gotten used to the Miasma Rats.”

I answered plainly. And she opened her eyes even wider.

“Gotten us—You’re kidding, right? I mean, this amount is just…”

“They were a perfect match for me.”

“…Are you really a beginner?”

“Well, I am a beginner? Technically speaking, anyway.”

Perhaps at a loss for words, the receptionist looked a bit puzzled.

But only for a moment—

She quickly returned to her professional demeanor.

“Um… your reward for this request is: 15 copper coins as the base reward, plus material assessment of 1 silver coin. That makes 1 silver and 15 copper coins total.”

That was the reward given.

100 copper coins = 1 silver coin.

100 silver coins = 1 gold coin.

That’s the standard currency of this world.

Same as in the game, though…

There were only one or two times in the story you could even visit a shop. So the currency didn’t really see much use.

From what the datamined info suggested, there were probably a lot more ways to use it.

Anyway, this was my first reward—

Somehow, it felt deeply emotional.

“Got it. I’ll take it then—Ah, could you let me check my skills one more time?”

“Eh? Ah, yes, of course…”

After receiving the reward, I asked for permission from the receptionist…

And placed my hand on the crystal.

Then I checked the displayed list of text—

[Skills]:

・Persistence: Lv.1

・Etiquette: Lv.1

・Academics: Lv.3

・Dance: Lv.2

・Household Management: Lv.2

・Linguistics: Lv.2

・Swordsmanship: Lv.1

・Magic: Lv.1

・Physical Resistance: Lv.2

・Poison Resistance: Lv.2

・Accuracy Boost: Lv.1

(Yep. All properly obtained. And levels have gone up too!)

I smiled at the confirmation that I had obtained and leveled up skills through battle with the Miasma Rats.

(…Even though I’ve been using my sword this whole time, my Swordsmanship skill didn’t level up, huh.)

Leveling up the Swordsmanship skill is based on the number of battles using a sword.

It’s only natural that a day’s worth of fighting wouldn’t level it up so easily.

But that’s exactly how it should be.

Through this fight, I once again realized how amazing “Swordsmanship: Lv.1” really was.

In both the mock battle and this time, once I held a sword, I could suddenly “see everything.”

Just Lv.1—and in this world, there must be others with higher sword skills than me.

Like that knight commander or those knights I occasionally met back when I lived as a noble.

“Ha ha.”

Thinking about it made me laugh.

That’s what makes it exciting.

“…Eh? Ehhh? W-why? I thought you just registered today…?”

“Ah, it’s probably just your imagination.”

“Imagination doesn’t explain this!”

The receptionist let out a soft scream.

Glances began to gather around the counter.

—This is what I wanted.

Using my knowledge of the game, exploiting the “gaps” in this world to advance.

I didn’t care about “romance” or “nobility.”

I didn’t need praise from anyone. I didn’t need understanding from anyone.

I just—

I just wanted to feel alive through fighting.

Original Author’s Comment:

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