C-rank adventurer Walter.

When I was approached in the guild, I thought I was being bothered by a troublesome person, but it turned out he was actually a kind person who cared about newcomers.

I feel ashamed of myself for doubting until just now.

"Excuse me, Walter-san, it seems I might have misunderstood a bit..."

"What's with the sudden change? Besides, there's no need for formalities between adventurers. You can just talk normally like you were before."

"...Got it. Thank you, Walter. You've really helped me out a lot."

When thanked, Walter turns away with a "hmph," still with a sullen face.

"I could tell right away that you have some kind of trouble. If you have any questions in the future, just ask me or the other seniors."

As always, his tough attitude and gentle words are inconsistent, but that's probably just Walter's characteristic.

If I could just understand that, I would realize that all his previous statements were made with me in mind.

Understanding those circumstances, I let out a sigh of relief.

(Well, when I got involved with the senior adventurer, I was really worried about what to do, but it turned out to be unfounded, and I'm relieved.)

That's because.

If this were a work of fiction, the protagonist with the strongest power would stylishly turn the tables.

But this is reality, and I don't have that kind of power. If it had come to a fight, I would have been completely beaten up.

To me, who is once again expressing gratitude in my heart, Walter says.

"Alright, let's head back before it gets completely dark."

"Ah."

Nodding at the proposal, I headed towards the forest exit with Walter.

However, just a few minutes later.

Still walking through the forest, I noticed that strange occurrence.

Rustle rustle rustle.

The sound of the trees swaying gradually grows louder.

Next, a heavy object crawled along the ground with a dragging sound.

Something was approaching without a doubt.

"Walter, what is this sound?"

"It seems that monsters are approaching... hmm."

After showing signs of deep thought, Walter turns his gaze towards me.

"Yuuri, do you want to try fighting?"

"Is it okay?"

"Yeah. The monsters that appear around here are at most D to E rank. They should be just the right opponents to gain some real combat experience with. Plus, if anything happens here, I can take over for you."

"...Alright, I'll give it a try."

In response to Walter's suggestion, I nodded.

I draw the sword from my waist and remain vigilant of the surroundings.

Right after that, as if sensing the moment, it appeared from the gaps between the trees.

"■■■■Shuuuuuu!"

"This is..."

If I had to sum it up in one word, it was slime.

However, it's not the cute kind of slime I usually imagine when I hear the word.

The height is about 3 meters, and the color is a murky black, as if it were boiled sewage.

Its entire body was squishy, and it approached without maintaining a fixed shape, reminiscent of an unknown monster from a horror movie.

Sweat slowly drips down my forehead.

And then I naturally voiced the thoughts that had come to me.

"This is... a low-level monster from this world!"

Walter just said that around here, only monsters like goblins and slimes, which rookie adventurers can easily defeat, appear.

Therefore, I thought that only weak-looking monsters would appear.

However, reality was different. This was not just a mere dog or bird that I had fought before.

It's clearly a monster that possesses the power to kill me.

(This was unexpected. I never thought the monsters in this world, even the low-level ones, would have this much power...)

But now, it finally makes sense.

The reason Aristia didn't bring me back from the [Time-Space Interval] for a thousand years.

Actually, I thought it might just have been forgotten or there might have been some irregularity, but a goddess couldn't possibly make such a foolish mistake.

She must have been patiently waiting until I could fight monsters of this class.

"...Nice, I'm getting pumped up."

The first battle with a monster since I came to this other world.

In this situation, where one wrong step could mean death, what I felt was not fear.

The joy of finally being able to showcase the countless sword techniques I have honed alone for a thousand years fills my heart completely.

"This monster, could it be... Yuuri, this is bad! We need to retreat for now!"

In the background, Walter is shouting something loudly.

Could it be that this is a troublesome monster for beginners to deal with?

But it's not a problem.

"Don't worry, Walter! Trust me and just watch from there!"

"What!? What are you saying―"

I want to accomplish my first monster subjugation all by myself.

Therefore, even if I get into danger, I want to stay away from Walter.

In his hands, a C-rank like him could probably take down an opponent of this level in an instant.

Leaving those words with such intent, I dashed forward.

Thus, the battle with the monster for the first time in this other world was about to begin.

Chapter 10: I Encountered a Monster for the First Time