The numbers with the ‘+’ mark are just to compare them to Lv1, and did not actually appear in my status.
I would often ask to go and help Zuky, a hunter, and he would let me finish off the Horned Rabbits and Forest Wolves that were caught in traps. And eventually, I reached Lv5.
It was practically power leveling, but I was told that this was how children in these parts usually raised their level in the beginning. However, it wasn’t like there would be animals caught in traps every time, so this method had a limit. And that limit was generally Lv4.
After that, I was taught how to carve and hunt on my own, which led to gaining the Carving Lv1 skill, and I myself got to Lv5. And by then I was able to take down Horned Rabbits.
They were easy to kill if you could stop their charges with a shield. It made me wonder why I had struggled so much that first time.
However, once I reached Lv5, they started to run away when they saw me, and it became harder to hunt them. While the hunters were able to take them down with bows, I had been hopelessly terrible with them, and had to give up. It must be because of my low DEX. It had to be it.
I acquired Gathering Lv1 as the chief’s wife, Mefica, taught me about edible mountain plants, mushrooms and herbs, so I could gather them in the forest. Mrs. Mefica had Dispensary Lv6, and you needed Lv10 to create potions. However, even if you couldn’t make potions, you could still make ointments and antidotes.
You could gather even without the Gathering skill as long as you had the knowledge, but by the time I could do it, I had acquired Gathering Lv1. If you had the skill, you would get an idea of where you could gather something, which was very useful.
As for Leatherworker Lv1, there was a workshop in the village, where the men tended to gather and talk. And so I acquired the skill after going there and being taught how to make things out of leather. When I returned home, I enjoyed creating different things, and it became a sort of hobby.
And then there was my main skill for now, Farming Lv2.
It didn’t sound impressive, but it made a huge difference.
Mister Dick(Farming Lv24) was the farmer who worked the field next door. When he walked through a field, weeds flew into the air, he could plow like a machine, bugs would not approach after he watered, and the leaves and stems would grow strong, and the harvest would come earlier than usual. I was certain that he was more efficient than any modern farm from my world.
But as it would take an incredible amount of time, I quickly gave up on the idea of acquiring such farming cheat skills. This was not an area that a novice like me should intrude in.
Cooking? I couldn’t do that.
Yes, skills weren’t all about combat. That god(probably real), had said that ‘Skills can be acquired later on through jobs, training, experience, aptitude, etcetera.’
However, I felt that it was also causing a delay in the advancement of technology. As your skill level was so important, that meant that everything was downgraded when someone was replaced by the next generation. And of course, you then had to work hard in order to raise your skill level to make up for it. That meant there was less focus on creating new techniques and tools.
Perhaps that was the reason that this civilization was stalling in this medieval state?
And there was also a reason that I couldn’t stay in this village for two long. It was this.
Reverse Age Lv1
Reverses the user’s age by Skill Lv x MP used x 0.1 year.
Recast time: 1 year.
In my first year, I had reached Lv2 through killing trapped Horned Rabbits in order to raise my MP. However, my MP did not change from its 11. With no choice, I tried to experiment, but I didn’t know how to ‘use my MP.’
Max MP of 11 x 0.1 meant 1.1 years at most, but as a test, I used Reverse Age and thought about reversing 2 years. And then I felt this intense feeling of despair, like I was trying to lift a great boulder. And like that, I fainted. And when I came to and checked my status, my age was the same, but my MP was at 1/11.
Your MP recovered slowly over time. It seemed to be around 2 points every hour?
Once my MP had fully recovered, I tested going back 1.1 years with Reverse Age. And while I didn’t feel like I was pushing myself that time, I still passed out. But when I saw that my age was now 44, I couldn’t help but pump my fist in the air. Not only that, but Reverse Age had risen to Lv2.
In just a few months, I would have been 45, so the decimal points were having the proper effect as well.
In my second year, the dear Horned Rabbits helped me get to Lv3, and my MP had increased to 13. I was so happy that I shouted out loud and caused people to worry about me.
Now that I could recast, I tried it on my second year. Since my max MP was 14 and my skill was Lv2, I knew that I could do 2.6 years but decided to stop at 2.4 years. This was because I had heard that you faint if your MP reaches 0. I wanted to know if I had fainted because of that, or if it was an effect of the Reverse Age skill.
As for the result, the skill was activated and I thought that my body lit up, but I did not faint. When I checked my status, my age was then 43. So it had been because of MP depletion after all.
And now, I am in my 3rd year and able to recast again!
As I had lied about my age and said that I was 42, the people in the village thought that I was currently 45. If I used the skill now, it would be Lv2 x MP15, which meant I would be 41. The difference would be minimal, and I was sure that I could make it for another year at least.
However, not next year. If I was supposed to turn 46 but became 39, people would start to become suspicious.
And there was one more reason. I had acquired the Carpentry skill because I had helped with processing lumber for the repair and expansion of the walls around the village for half a year. Of course, most people acquired the skill much faster. Apparently, you gained new skills at a much slower pace the older you got.
While there was no need to rush, as I could delay the use of the skill next year if I had to, I wanted to acquire a body that could move quickly as soon as possible. And so I had to make preparations within the year and leave the village…
With this resolve, I activated Reverse Age for the 3rd time.