158 Thought it was a fishing village, but it was a farming one.
Walking along the coastline, searching for a fishing village.
Fishing?
Are you serious? Fishing in a sea this dangerous?
No, really?
What kind of sea allows water dragons to be caught?
Well, the water dragon I caught earlier was a low-level lower-tier dragon, so victory was possible—but winning too easily might draw a large swarm of water dragons, I suppose.
Even the earth dragon trio avoids them. A massive horde of water dragons? That’s not funny.
More terrifying than this sea labyrinth.
I’ve already filled my stomach with the water dragon I caught. Fishing is done. Now I’m searching for a fishing village.
A village where men fight water dragons.
There must be a wonderful old man there.
Mhah!
Wait there, nice guy.
I’m going to spy on you now!
But no village-like structure appears anywhere.
Spent a full day moving along the coast, but found nothing. The sun set without result.
Hmm.
Sleeping on the shore is unpleasant.
Smells of seaweed.
Water dragons are present.
I’ll return to the labyrinth—something I haven’t done in a while.
Thus, I’ve teleported back to the labyrinth after a long absence.
Hmm.
No change.
Now that I’ve returned, I realize the air inside this labyrinth is genuinely comfortable.
Outside, it’s slightly cool on the skin, but here, temperature is neutral.
No other monsters remain. No sound.
Smell is faintly metallic, but it doesn’t register.
No sunlight. No UV exposure to worry about.
Outside, the upper-tier skill Vision Expansion causes Sensory Expansion to activate—making UV rays and other irrelevant stimuli visible, which is distracting.
It's not worth overthinking, so I usually keep the skill off during normal use.
Slept soundly through the night in a comfortable environment.
Morning.
Probably.
The only inconvenience in the labyrinth is not knowing whether it's morning or night.
Well then, continuing from yesterday, shall we search for the fishing village?
Teleport to the last location visited yesterday.
Walking aimlessly along the coast won't help. Use spatial mobility to rise into the air, then activate千里眼 to survey the surroundings.
Endless sea and mountains in every direction.
Ah—village detected!
But it's set back from the coast.
Wait—doesn't look like a fishing village at all.
No boats in sight.
More like a farming village?
Looks like they've carved out part of the mountain to cultivate plants.
Hmm.
Where are the sea-farers?
What am I supposed to do with this disappointed spider heart, which was counting on them?
Oh well.
For now, aim for that village.
Arrive near the village, encountering a large crab along the way.
It's impossible to enter directly, so approach from the mountain side and observe the village's interior.
Hmph.
So this is how humans live.
Considering it, this is the first time I've witnessed human life.
Slightly refreshing.
The village buildings are wooden.
The style resembles log cabins, but they're elevated off the ground.
Tsunami defense?
No shops or similar structures.
This is the atmosphere of a frontier village.
The residents are white.
Well, roughly equivalent to Earth's Caucasians.
Though they're slightly sun-tanned, not quite white.
Most have brown hair.
Even in this fantasy world, no one has flashy colors like red or blue.
The knights from earlier all wore helmets—couldn't tell from that.
Based on assessment, no one here possesses strong attributes.
Even the man considered the strongest in the village has a status score below one hundred.
Remarkable how they survive with such weakness.
Ah, I was even weaker than that.
But while low status is acceptable, lacking proper skills altogether—how is that possible?
Even humans would have basic knowledge. Not training skills seems unusual.
Not entirely unreasonable.
For ordinary life in a remote village, skills aren’t strictly necessary.
If a skill is needed, it’s acquired. As long as one avoids dying, it’s sufficient.
Perhaps it’s better to work than to train skills.
In impoverished villages on Earth, children begin labor at a young age.
Life is harsh.
Hmm?
The villagers are starting to fidget.
Could they have noticed me?
Unlikely.
The tyrant is offline, and stealth and camouflage should make detection unlikely.
No village member with strong perception abilities—shouldn't be detectable at all.
Still, if I were found, something must have gone wrong.
Better stay hidden. Getting involved would be troublesome.
Might as well hunt a monster or two to satisfy hunger.
Night has fallen.
Everyone is asleep.
What am I doing?
Stealing.
Heh heh.
The village’s finest fare is mine.
Specifically, fruits cultivated in the fields.
Breaking into homes to steal seasonings or condiments would be too difficult.
So, here I am, sneaking into the orchard at night, searching for fruit.
Crime?
I am a monster.
I don’t care about human laws.
[Expertise level has reached threshold. Skill 'Steal LV1' acquired.]
Yes.
Evidence of the crime is etched here.
Sorry.
Ah.
What? What?
Gains increased ability to steal?
Some questionable skill effect, this one.
Useful only for thieves, perhaps.
But I don’t steal such things in the first place.
Huh?
Current situation?
No choice—must steal for sweets.
Stole fruit from the orchard, subtly, in small amounts, and left.
Villager: "Something terribly cold just passed through me."