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Mirabelle shouted out in astonishment when she heard Kirsten’s age.

“Eh? You’re already 18!?”

Kirsten covered her mouth before Mirabelle could finish speaking. Kirsten looked all around her. Luckily, nobody was around to hear her age. She placed her index finger on her pink lips and shushed Mirabelle.

“Honestly, you’re too loud. Why did you think I was whispering to you?”
“I’m so sorry, but I never expected it. I thought that you…”

Mirabelle stopped before she finished her sentence. She had originally wanted to say that Kirsten was much older than she had expected. However, Mirabelle immediately covered her mouth.

“Mirabelle, you wanted to say something rather rude just now?”
“I didn’t want to say anything rude at all…”

Mirabelle smiled as she tried to explain. However, Kirsten stared at her face with suspicion.

“Really… you really didn’t want to say something rude?”
“I really didn’t. Anyways, as for my age, I can openly tell you that I’m 15 years old now…”
“15? You’re already so amazing despite ‘only being three years younger.’ As expected of Mirabelle…”

Kirsten especially emphasized the words ‘only being three years younger.’ Mirabelle looked at her with a helpless expression.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re praising me…”

However, Kirsten smiled and said, “It’s the same for you…”

Elves were considered to be of adult age at 18. Humans were considered to be of adult age at 20, two years later than elves.¹

“By the way, why do you not have a partner at the age of 18? Logically speaking, you should already have someone you like by this age.”
“I don’t have anyone I’m interested in. In the past, I had a childhood friend that I had a really good relationship with, but by that, I simply mean that we played together when we were young…”
“Where is he right now?”

Mirabelle asked this question without thinking. However, she then bit her own lower lip hard after she asked this question.

“He’s already dead. He was eaten by an S rank magical beast after my parents died and before we entered this elven territory…”
“I see, sorry…”

Mirabelle had accidentally tread upon a thorny issue in Kirsten’s heart.

“I keep feeling like my experience is really similar to yours, Mirabelle. Vampires destroyed our home, which is why we were forced to move to this kind of place, and they also caused my father, mother, and childhood friend’s deaths. Luckily, my master took me in and taught me how to hunt magical beasts. It’s thanks to her that I’m still alive today.”
“Don’t be sad. I’ll always be by your side.”
“Sad? That’s not really it…”

Kirsten raised her head and glanced at the blue sky.

“I just have some nostalgia now that it all happened so long ago.”

Kirsten suddenly stood up from beside the tree and secretly wiped some tears from her eyes. Mirabelle knew that Kirsten was intentionally hiding her feelings, but she didn’t expose Kirsten.

“Alright, this short exchange of secrets can end here. Now then, you’ll have to continue working hard, Miss Newbie…”
“I will do my best in order to not be a burden on you!”

Mirabelle followed Kirsten and proceeded in this district that was filled with B rank monsters. Perhaps out of concern for Mirabelle, Kirsten didn’t go to the dangerous districts that had A rank monsters. Still, with Kirsten’s level, it would be quite easy for her to go there.

It was thanks to Kirsten constantly telling Mirabelle about the magical beasts’ weaknesses that Mirabelle was able to gradually destroy the monsters.

Mirabelle looked at her current stats-

Name: Mirabelle Brillana.
Sex: Female.
Age: 15.
Species: Elf (Blood Slave: If your blood isn’t sucked for one day, you’ll go into withdrawal.)
Level: 10
HP: 1000/1000 (super recovery ability: it is impossible for your HP to reach zero. Your HP regeneration is increased by 50%.)
MP: 800/800
Strength: 41
Dexterity: 39
Endurance: 45
Intelligence: 470 (Mirabelle’s special ability: super memory)
Physical attack: 20
Accuracy: 44
Dodge: 20.6%
Critical rate: 0.9%
Abilities: Level Analysis, Data Modification, Blood Scent (suppressed)

Judging from this, apart from her HP and MP leveling up at a fast rate, the other stats all grew at different rates.

This was even more so for dodge and critical rate. These two special rates seemed to improve rather randomly.

Still, it was fine as long as the other stats were growing successfully.

Mirabelle’s physical attack was a paltry 20. Because of this, she needed to first paralyze the magical beasts, and then use her short dagger to attack the magical beasts’ weak spots in order to kill them.

She would take the valuable magical beasts as food. The worthless magical beasts would be left where they were.

“Mirabelle, in front is a really dangerous place, since S rank magical beasts might appear. Because of that, we need to hide in the forest, and if we meet an S rank magical beast, we’ll…”
“Yes yes, I know… we’ll try to run if we meet an S rank magical beast, right?”
“Yes…”
“You’ve already said it many times…”

Mirabelle and Kirsten both hid in the forest and concealed their figures.

“So what if I’ve said it many times? I’m worried about you, which is why I said it many times, is that wrong?”
“N… no…”

Kirsten roared at Mirabelle in an angry tone.

Mirabelle knew that Kirsten was really worried about her safety – this was the first time she had ever seen someone getting angry for her sake. No, perhaps this wasn’t the first time after all.

Kirsten caused Mirabelle to remember Nim. That resolute girl had previously directed her fury towards Heather.

“Thank you, Kirsten…”
“It’s fine. Just be more careful. If anything happens, I can’t protect you well with my current condition…”
“It’s fine, I will protect myself…”

Besides, Mirabelle had several layers of insurance upon herself that she would use if she was in danger. Kirsten and Mirabelle both hid in the grass as they continued onward. When they saw that there were no magical beasts around, they proceeded deeper into the forest.

“It’s that magical beast, the S rank one that injured me last time.”

Mirabelle followed Kirsten’s gaze and looked at the magical beast. This magical beast was an evolved form of the Melgash – Hell Melgash.

Its body was covered in burning flames. Its claws and fangs were extremely sharp and long.

“It seems that we should go back at this point. Otherwise, we’ll both be finished if it discovers us. Let’s just go back for today…”
“That’s fine, since we’ve already obtained an abundant harvest…”

Mirabelle wasn’t referring to only the items as loot. She also meant that her stats had really increased. If she could level up ten times every day, then she would reach level 100 in less than a month.

Rather than the future level 100, Mirabelle was more looking forward to the skill that she would obtain when she reached level 50. Every person in this world would obtain a personal skill when they reached level 50.

It would be randomly chosen from a list that contained tens of thousands of skills. The skill you obtained would depend entirely on your own good or bad luck-

Some people might obtain highly useful skills, while others might obtain completely useless skills. That was why Mirabelle was filled with expectations towards her personal skill.

-Perhaps this was the sensation of ‘a game that you won’t get tired of no matter how many times you play it?’

However, as Mirabelle was leaving, a snapping sound came from under her foot. She had actually stepped on a tree branch. The branch’s sound attracted the S rank magical beast, the Hell Melgash.

“Idiot, don’t get distracted at such a time! Hurry and run!”

Kirsten carried Mirabelle and speedily escaped at an extremely quick speed. The Hell Melgash followed after them at a similarly quick speed.

Mirabelle watched the Melgash chase after them and thought – ‘This won’t work. Kirsten’s speed isn’t as fast as the Hell Melgash which can run on four legs. It’s going to catch up to us.’

Thus, Mirabelle started looking for something in her quiver.

Kirsten was carrying Mirabelle on her back, so she had no idea what Mirabelle was doing. All she knew was that Mirabelle was constantly moving around.

“What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for something. Rather than that, Kirsten, take a right at the next fork and then run straight forward with your eyes closed…”
“So like I asked, what are you doing?”
“Don’t ask for now. Just close your eyes…”

Mirabelle took out an arrow that she had specially created. She aimed her bow straight at the center of the magical beast’s eyes which seemed to be burning with flames.

‘-Now!’

Mirabelle felt that they were almost at the fork in the road. She also closed her eyes and sincerely prayed.

‘-It absolutely has to take effect.’

Mirabelle instantly shot the arrow, which hit the beast in its eyes. An instant later, the arrow exploded with an incomparably strong light. The Hell Melgash instantly became confused and ran down the other fork in the road. Mirabelle deeply sighed after the beast’s heavy footstep sounds disappeared.

“It… it was effective…”

Mirabelle also closed her eyes in time. However, her eyes were directly facing the light explosion. Even though she had her eyes closed, she was still somewhat affected.

Mirabelle’s vision became completely blank white. She could still see that there was a “Blind” status on her status window, so she knew that the special effect had indeed been effective.

The blind effect would only remain for about two minutes on her. The Hell Melgash had taken a direct hit from the blinding light at a close distance, so it would be affected with the blind status for quite a while longer than she would.

“Hey, Kirsten, the monster ran down the other fork, so you can open your eyes and walk slowly now.”

Only then did Mirabelle remember to notify Kirsten who still had her eyes closed.

“Hah, I was so scared. Sheesh, you. Why weren’t you more careful?”
“Sorry, sorry, I still can’t see anything yet…”
“Can’t see?”
“It will be fine in about two minutes, no need to worry. Rather than that, I never expected that my custom-made weapon would actually work.”

Kirsten put down Mirabelle from her back. Mirabelle could sense that she was now sitting on a tree trunk.

“And then? What exactly happened? Wasn’t that magical beast chasing us? Why would it suddenly run down the wrong fork? Also, why did you tell me to close my eyes?”

Kirsten began to interrogate Mirabelle. Since Mirabelle had a sharp hearing, she could sense Kirsten’s footsteps constantly getting closer to her.

“Well… don’t ask for now, I’ll tell you everything. But, now’s still not the time. Let’s go back first while it’s still going down the other path. There’s not much time left, and I’ll explain to you as we go back…”

1. Translator note: Most western countries consider 18 to be adult age, but China considers 20 to be adult age.