LSP – Chapter 5 –  Level up

After my parents left for the fields in the morning, I quietly snuck out of the house while carrying a spear (completed).

“Onii-chan!” (Shari)

Shari found me.

“Where are you going?” (Shari)

“Oh, just taking a walk, you know.” (Finn)

“With a spear?” (Shari)

“Well, you know, it’s been dangerous lately.” (Finn)

Shari is giving me a suspicious look with narrowed eyes, but there’s a smirk on her face.

“In that case, Shari will go with you.” (Shari)

“No, seriously, it’s really dangerous.” (Finn)

“See? You’re planning to do something dangerous after all.” (Shari)

Shari walks up to me with small, quick steps and tightly hugs my back.

“Onii-chan, Shari will protect you.” (Shari)

“Well, you see, Shari, until recently, you couldn’t even walk around the village. It was that dangerous. Going outside the village is even more risky. There might be situations where we have to run and escape. We need to build up more stamina.” (Finn)

“Mouu~” (Shari)

After hearing that, Shari pouts. Adorable.

“Then, when I become the same age as Onii-chan, I am going with you.” (Shari)

“Hmm, well, I guess that works.”(Finn)

I decided to temporarily postpone the decision for now.

I have to at least raise my level before that happens.

◇

This will be my third goblin-hunting session. Although, the first time I was not exactly looking for goblins.

I arrive at the usual spot where goblins are likely to appear. While I’m at it, might as well search for some medicinal herb.

“…” (Finn)

I thought that there might be goblins around, but when I searched around, I can’t seem to find any. I only came across medicinal herbs.

“Hmm…” (Finn)

Come to think of it, goblins have only appeared when I was caught off guard. They might be hiding and observing me.

*Goron*¹. I try rolling around. 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds. No, this is scary. It’s too scary to think that there might be goblins approaching me while I’m doing this. Let’s stop.

I raise my head and see a goblin slowly reaching out, trying to grab my spear.

“Uwahhh!” (Finn)

No progress.²

I swing the spear around as I get up. When the shaft of the spear cleanly hits the goblin’s head, the goblin rolls over. My spear got knocked away during the impact. I chased after it and step on the spear to stop it and pick it up.

“With this, my hand is now complete… right?” (Finn)

While muttering a heroic line as if I was a protagonist, I aim the spear at the goblin, who struggles to get up. I thrust at the center of its chest as practiced. I feel the solid sensation of hitting bones, but I did not stop. I continue to push and twist with a grinding motion as the spear pierces through the goblin.

“Um, what should I do now?” (Finn)

The spear won’t come out!

Feeling a bit panicked, I swing the spear around, but the goblin turns into black smoke and disappears. No, if there were more of them, it could be dangerous. In my practice, I never thought about the spear getting stuck like this. I need to think about this later.

Curious, I take a look at the tip of the spear. It doesn’t seem loose. Looks like there was no damage to it. By the way, what about my level? I check my own level. It was around 1.2 last time, if I remember correctly. My level is…

1.5…not. Maybe around 1.4 or so.

When I strangled the goblin the first time, my level reached 1.5, and after defeating the dagger-wielding goblin, it reached to around 2.0, so it increased by around 0.5. This time’s goblin might have been around 0.2? Perhaps it’s due to a different type of goblin or the difference in weapons. Speaking of which, the goblin I just fought had a club. In that case, I have to hunt 3 more of the same type.

If it’s just a club-wielding goblin, I don’t think it’s too strong, and now that I have the advantage of civilized weapons, I believe I can defeat it. However, the real challenge is finding them. Should I venture further into the depths? But what if multiple goblins appear? Hmm.

Let’s retreat for now. I am cautious.

◇

I go to the herb grandma’s place and hand her the medicinal herbs I gathered earlier.

“Grandma, I brought this for you.” (Finn)

“Oh, Finn. By the way, is your sister feeling better?” (Grandma)

“Yeah, thanks to you. By the way, Grandma, is there any way to find goblins?” (Finn)

“Well, goblins are like fairies, you see. It’s quite difficult for humans to spot them.” (Grandma)

Looks like things are going to be tough.

“Here, this is a token of gratitude for the medicinal herbs.” (Grandma)

“Thank you!” (Finn)

After receiving the reward for a quest I didn’t even accept, I went to buy an apple and headed to the blacksmith.

“Here, this is a token of gratitude from the other day!” (Finn)

I hand him the apple.

“Oh, thank you. By the way, is that spearhead part of the dagger from the other day?” (Blacksmith)

“Yeah, that’s right. I made it myself.” (Finn)

“Alright, let me take a look. Hmm, not bad at all. You have done a good job.” (Blacksmith)

I feel happy to be praised by a professional.

“By the way, once it gets stuck, it’s hard to pull it out. Any suggestions on what to do?” (Finn)

“Well, that is probably because you need more practice. Hmm, let me see it for a moment.” (Blacksmith)

The blacksmith creates something like a sword guard using a thick scrap of leather. He makes notches and inserts the spearhead into them, firmly securing it until the handle.

“What do you think about this?” (Blacksmith)

“It looks great! Thank you, uncle!” (Finn)

Now, it’s time for a rematch with the goblins!

◇

The next morning, I head back to the forest with the spear (improved version) in hand. Shari had a worried look on her face, but I only need one or two more level-ups. I will have to ask her to be patient for a little longer. It’s okay; I have the advantage of civilized weaponry.

I enter the forest, going a bit deeper than usual. It feels darker here. Is this really going to be alright? Can I go back if needed?

Feeling increasingly concerned, I decided to turn back. I am a cautious person, after all.

“Gue!” (Goblin)

I turn around. It’s a goblin! This is my chance! I ready my spear.

“Guee!” (Goblin)

I hear another goblin’s voice from behind. What? I turn around again, and there’s another goblin there. Uh-oh, I’m trapped! These goblins are working together like a party, despite being goblins!

“Gueguegue!” (Goblin)

I hear the sound of the goblin in front of me running. The goblin in front is only 5 meters away now.

I advance, holding my spear. I aim for the center of their bodies. At the moment of impact, I twist the spear and feel the sensation of cutting through flesh. I continue running and deliver a kick to the fallen goblin. With the goblin under my foot, I retrieve my spear. The goblin beneath me suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. I stumbled a bit managed to regain my balance and turn around.

I lock eyes with the goblin behind me. It’s wielding a dagger.

“Hey. Long time no see.” (Finn)

Well, I think this one is different from the previous one. I already defeated the previous one. But they all look the same, so it’s hard to tell.

I ready my spear. This time, I will win with the advantage of civilized weaponry!

◇

In the end, I emerged victorious against the dagger-wielding goblin. It was a close victory.

While the spear had a significant advantage in terms of reach, it was difficult to swing it freely in the forest. We ended up engaged in a messy, blood-soaked brawl, and in the end, I managed to take down the goblin with a tackle and then strangled it to death. It was far from civilized, but a win is a win. After all, if I had lost, I would have been killed. I could not afford to be picky about my methods.

And my level increased. It seems that defeating the dagger-wielding goblin granted me a level boost of around 0.5.

By the way, did I get a blessing?

Originally, I had desired the blessing of spear. However, during the intense struggle with the dagger-wielding goblin, I realized that “a spear is not effective in this fight.” Perhaps because of that, I didn’t acquire the blessing of spear. Instead I got…

“Presence Detection Ability?” (Finn)

It seems that the desire to find goblins was strong within me. As a result, I obtained another difficult-to-explain blessing.

However, it’s worth noting that the dagger did not drop as loot this time.

◇

I leave the forest and approach the village. At the entrance, I see a girl standing there. The girl started to approach me. It’s Shari.

“See, I knew it was something dangerous.” (Shari)

Sorry.

“Onii-chan” (Shari)

Shari embraces me. Although I am worried about getting her clothes dirty again, I don’t say anything. Or rather, I feel drained. It was a close call. I thought I was going to die. Without Shari’s support, I might have collapsed.

“Heal” (Shari)

Although the soothing light may not be visible under the sun, the warmth continues to flow into my body from Shari’s touch. The pain of my wounds starts to fade away.

“Thank you, Shari.” (Finn)

“Well, it can’t be helped. Because your Onii-chan.” (Shari)

I gently stroke Shari’s head. Her golden hair shines and sparkles under the sunlight.

“Shari, speaking of which…” (Finn)

“What is it, Onii-chan?” (Shari)

“If you could receive one more blessing, what would it be?” (Finn)

Shari released her hold on my body slightly and looked at my face.

“I want to protect you, Onii-chan.” (Shari)

“I understand.” (Finn)

Shari embraced me once again, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly. I gently ran my fingers through her flowing golden hair. Shari, still clinging to me, lifted her face and placed her hand on the back of my head.

We gazed into each other’s eyes. Her eyes were filled with anticipation, looking up at me. It felt a bit embarrassing. Why don’t you close your eyes? Oh well, there’s no helping it. I made up my mind and our lips met. I explored Shari’s lips with mine, feeling her delicate tongue. I sucked on her lips for a moment and our tongues touched. Maybe this is deep enough.

“Level connection!” (Finn)

I concentrate. Through the connection of our lips, a circuit of levels is formed, flowing from my mouth to Shari’s. Shari accepts me. Power tries to flow out from my body.

“Begin Level Transfer!” (Finn)

Shari’s level bar above her head continues to rise: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3…

“Mmm, aah, ah, hmmm…” (Finn/Shari)

The level keeps increasing. 1.8, 1.9. Then, the second bar starts flashing and stops at 2.0.

“Mm, mm, Onii…chan…” (Shari)

We part our lips, but Shari remains clinging to me. A strand of saliva glistens in the sunlight, bridging the gap between our mouths. I feel my strength drained away and I know that I would collapse if I let go of Shari. We stand there, holding each other for a while. The warmth of the sun envelops us.

“Shari, people will pass by here.” (Finn)

“It’s your fault, Onii-chan.” (Shari)

Shari pouts and moves away slightly, puffing up her cheeks.

“But, thank you. Onii-chan.” (Shari)

I wonder if I can form a party with Shari next time. Since I am at Level 1, I need to make sure that I don’t hold her back.

――

Fin: Level 1

• Blessing: Level Check, Level Transfer, Presence Detection (new!)

Shari: Level 2 (up)

• Blessing: Healing (2x more effective on Finn), Protection (2x effect duration on Finn) (new!)

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Image of Shari waiting at the entrance of the village

“At the entrance, I see a girl standing there. The girl started to approach me. It’s Shari.”
~ Link to source

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

LOL I didn’t expect Finn to get screwed by the constant desire to look for goblins. If he keeps going like this, he might just become a Goblin Slayer. Also HEH? What is protection? Issit like some sort of damage immunity for a specific duration? If it is that could be pretty op.

You know what, I think I’m gonna switch back to using “little sister” instead of “imouto”. Maybe once in a while I’ll use “imouto” again. “Onii-chan” stays tho.

Btw I am aware that sometimes I switch between “<name> blessing”, “blessing of <name>” and some other way. From now on, I’ll try to standardize it to the second format since it sounds cooler.

IMPORTANT: WordPress is very dumb and will sometimes randomly cause text/image to disppear. This only happens with text/image which has anchors on them (aka text which links to footnote). Soo… If you guys find some footnote with missing text which links to it, send a comment there and I’ll go and fix it. So yeh I rly need your help for this one cause idk when text is past chapters are gonna randomly disappear. Thanks!

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Footnotes:

1. Rolling sounds
2. His refering to how he is still scared of goblins