Kill a monster to level up, to open your status, to become stronger—that's what Saki knew about this world's rules after she watched the video that explained the world beyond the Gates.
Goblin, Orc, Hound... There are a lot of types of monsters in this world. Some of them exactly looked like what games, novels, and movies presented them.
Her goal in this world was to find the reason behind her parents' deaths, also to become stronger.
Why?
Because she knew that she wouldn't survive in the future if she did not become way, way, way stronger than she was now.
...
'Hm? What is that?'
Saki frowned when she found a small clearing in the plain where there's four holes could be seen from where she was hiding behind the grass formation.
The holes had a width of 30 centimeters. On Earth, holes that size would usually be used or created by small animals or reptiles like snakes, rats, gophers, and other kinds of underground beings.
'These holes were too big for a rat, so maybe... Snakes?'
The girl didn't have to wait long before she found the answer.
A small figure began slowly crawling out from one of the holes. The figure looked small compared to a Human, but quite big for an underground creature, its body only extended to 30 centimeters long, excluding its tail, while its height was only 15 centimeters tall.
Looking at the figure, Saki is immediately able to identify it as a mouse, at least its appearance reminds her of a mouse. But since it was too big for a mouse, maybe calling it a rat would be more appropriate. Move over, the being also had elongated claws that grew from its front legs like a ghoul, clearly abnormal for an Earthling like her.
However, this world is the world beyond the Gates, so of course Earth's common knowledge would not work here.
'Since it was too strange for an animal, maybe it was one of the monsters existing in this world?'
Saki gripped her knife tightly.
She looked at the mouse's body. Small, furry, and lean—its strength wouldn't be much, but it should be quite agile with how lean its body looked.
Midori Saki never attended any martial arts classes since her parents never told her to learn about martial arts, so her knowledge of fighting, at most, would be limited to what she had seen in movies.
But she shouldn't hesitate.
She's not allowed to hesitate, not by herself, not when she's still so weak.
So with a knife being held on her side in her right hand, Saki stepped out from the grass formation and showed herself before the mouse, alerting it.
The mouse looked at her, confusion and aggression mirrored in the rodent's small eyes.
Slowly, Saki raised her knife.
The mouse lowered its body in response, shifting to offensive form and ready to pounce at her any time she moved.
The two launch their bodies forward simultaneously and meet at the center.
Knife extended, aimed at the rodent's stomach.
Claws reached out, tearing the girl's skin.
Then—
Both of them fell to the ground.
The rodent stopped moving after it lost too much blood from a gaping wound it had on its stomach.
The girl only had her left arm skin ripped. Despite bleeding so much, she is still alive.
"Uuuuuhhhhggg ahh!!"
But the pain was still unbearable for her, who had never experienced receiving a wound that wide until now.
Frantically, she stored her knife back in its sheath, which she had hung on her waist, and covered her wound with her palm, desperately trying to stop the blood from spilling out.
Saki, of course, knew that it would be best for her to immediately leave this place before other mice started coming out after they realized her confrontation with one of them.
She felt something had entered and was changing something inside her body after she successfully killed the mouse, but she didn't have time to worry about that for now. She focused solely on leaving and went back toward where the Gate was located.
There was a medkit box she had prepared inside her bag, so she would be able to sterilize her wound and cover it later.
At the corner of her vision, she could see some kind of transparent panels popping out, which she ignored at the moment. Later, she would certainly check them thoroughly.
[You have killed your first monster.]
[You gained experience points.]
[You have successfully leveled up from Level 0 —> Level 1]
[You have received the Title: Earthling.]
[You have gained 1 point.]
___
•Name: Midori Saki/Saki Midori.
•Race: Human.
•Age: 16 years old.
•Gender: Female.
•Level: 1
•Strength: 6
•Endurance: 3
•Dexterity: 5
• Intelligence: 5
•Magic: 1
—Point: 1
[Title:]
—Earthling.
___
Her first battle turned out more lame and instant than she had imagined, but it's no less intense.
The pain was real.
It's unbearable.
And made her want to give up right at that very moment, urging her to return to her house and forget about everything.
But of course she shouldn't do that.
She wanted to find the reason why her parents lost their lives.
She needs power.
Only this world would be able to give her the power she needed.
So she would survive.
She would grow.
There was no time for excuses.
Only work hard, and adapt.
She was a genius,
So it was nothing for her.