On this day, the terrifying Turtle-Shell Demon King descended upon the Monster Grassland near town...
It was an endless stretch of grassland, a breathtaking vista that unfolded the moment one stepped outside the town gates. Emerald green seemed to blanket the entire earth, with only a stone-paved path winding across it.
Although humans had traveled through and developed this area, it was also a natural habitat for monsters.
Weak monsters were hardy, bred at an astonishing rate, and were difficult to eradicate. Since they posed little threat to humans, they were allowed to live in the wilderness outside town, where novice adventurers could also use them to hone their skills.
Following Myne's advice, a fully equipped Chuan Wenwu sought out the weak monsters living nearby to practice on.
Orange Balloon was the name of an extremely weak monster in this other world. The naming was straightforward: since they looked like orange balloons, they had simply been named Orange Balloons.
As for a more specific description... wasn't "orange balloon" specific enough?
A group of orange, spherical creatures suddenly bouncing across the emerald grassland was quite conspicuous. They weren't very intelligent, and they had vicious tempers, much like Chihuahuas. The moment they spotted Chuan Wenwu, they bounced straight toward him, opening their hideous mouths to bite him-
Although Orange Balloons were named for their resemblance to orange balloons, Chuan Wenwu thought they looked more like Slimes-orange Slimes with mouths, no longer sticky and gooey, but fixed in a spherical shape.
After all, balloons were hollow. These Orange Balloon monsters had enormous mouths split across them. If they were actually built like balloons, they would have leaked all their air long ago.
Besides, after being bitten several times, Chuan Wenwu naturally knew quite a bit about their insides.
"Pop~"
Chuan Wenwu grabbed the top of an Orange Balloon with one hand, then yanked hard, pulling his other hand out of its stomach with a remarkably loud pop.
These monsters were like lice. Whenever they encountered an enemy, they scrambled to leap onto them, clamped down hard with their mouths, and dangled from their target as they tore and chewed away. Chuan Wenwu's hands had fallen victim to their attacks, and not just his hands-quite a few Orange Balloons also hung from his legs, torso, back, and shoulders.
He looked as though he had been buried under wriggling red spheres, but despite the apparent danger, Chuan Wenwu hadn't actually taken any damage.
He was the Shield Hero, renowned for his defense!
On top of that, he was wearing a full suit of plate armor with incredible defensive power. These Orange Balloons, no better than wild dogs, couldn't even break through his defenses. He felt nothing when they bit him.
Though surrounded by monsters, Chuan Wenwu stood as steady as a rock.
However...
"Hyaa!"
Chuan Wenwu swung his fist and smashed it into an Orange Balloon, sending it flying over ten meters away in an instant. It looked impressive, but the moment his opponent landed, it came "charging" back at him, as lively as ever.
Did they have a lot of health?
No, the Shield Hero's attack power was simply too low. It looked as though he was beating them brutally, but he was barely doing any damage at all. Even if he knocked them high into the air and let them fall, their elastic bodies negated most of the damage from the landing.
"Tch! Blunt-damage classes really don't get along with these squishy, bouncy creatures..."
Chuan Wenwu clicked his tongue, then called out, "Bruce!"
"Mm-mm!"
A muffled cry came from behind him. Bruce darted forward with the Magic Iron Sword in his mouth, shaking his body and head. The blade swept through an arc, striking an Orange Balloon hanging motionless from Chuan Wenwu with perfect accuracy.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
The monsters' fragile bodies shattered at each strike. These weak creatures, which might have taken Chuan Wenwu several minutes to beat down with his bare hands, couldn't withstand even a single slash from Bruce.
The shortcomings of the Shield Hero class were plain to see.
"Clunk."
The sword slipped loose from the force of the swing and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Bruce didn't pick it back up. Instead, he leaped straight onto Chuan Wenwu and retaliated against the balloons attacking him with his claws and teeth. Indeed, while swinging a sword around in his mouth might look cool, how could it possibly feel as natural to Bruce as using his own teeth?
Bruce finished each one off in two bites, quickly clearing all the "lice" from Chuan Wenwu's body.
Experience +1 +1 +1 +1...
Each balloon monster provided only one experience point.
Moreover, it seemed that he also received experience from monsters killed by Bruce, who was his companion. Myne, who had yet to become a companion, didn't count.
He had asked Myne about it, and she had replied, "Perhaps companions are a special ability unique to you, Sir Hero. Maybe we need to develop a certain level of mutual understanding before we can join. After all, I've only just joined your party."
So, in their party of two people and a dog, he could only gain experience when either he or Bruce killed a monster. Myne was practically an outsider, standing far away in a safe area and cheering them on.
"Whew. If you're not comfortable using it, don't bother. When I get the chance, I'll fit you with a mouthful of steel teeth." Chuan Wenwu patted Bruce's head without forcing him to fight with a sword hilt in his mouth. After all, he didn't like it.
Besides, the sword wasn't actually intended for Bruce to use. It was for him.
Although the [Shield] restricted him from using other weapons, who said a weapon had to be held in his hand to be used?
He picked up the sword, dug a small hole in the ground, and buried it hilt-first, leaving only the tip sticking out and pointing toward the sky.
Then he ran toward the area with the most Orange Balloons, made a quick circuit, and ran back.
By then, plenty of "balloons" were hanging from his body, with an even larger swarm following behind him!
"Bruce! Stay back!"
He shouted loudly, then ran to where he had planted the sword and sat down cross-legged. The huge wave of balloon monsters behind him immediately caught up.
But he neither dodged nor moved aside, sitting there calmly. With a casual pluck, he caught a balloon monster in his hand, then pressed it hard onto the sword tip-"Pop!"
One experience point earned.
It was as easy and leisurely as pinning an eel's head to a nail while preparing it.
Since he had drawn all their aggro, Bruce could help take care of some of the balloon monsters around the edges. Meanwhile, he sat in the very center, dealing with the monsters one pluck and one push at a time, while they couldn't hurt him in the slightest.
"Now this is how a shield tank should level~ Amazing at pulling mobs, with no need to worry about dropping dead. All that's missing is a way to finish them off and make up for the lack of damage. In a game, teammates can handle the damage, but in reality, there are all sorts of other ways to achieve the same thing."
Steady and efficient. These low-level monsters, utterly incapable of feeling fear or fleeing when their companions died, clearly did nothing but scramble into Chuan Wenwu's hands and turn into experience points.
Chuan Wenwu was in a cheerful mood, even humming a song as he executed the monsters.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure on a nearby hill...
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