[Name: May]

[Class: —]

Level: 1

HP: 30/30

MP: 12/12

Strength: 10 (+12)

Endurance: 10 (+5)

Agility: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10

Luck: 10

Weapon: [Shortsword] Attack 12

Armor: [Adventurer’s Clothes] Defense 5

Skills: —

“Ah, a monster!”

May’s eyes, which had been examining her status screen, suddenly caught sight of it.

The first creature to stand in her way within the jungle was a flashy red-purple slime.

A classic monster, a subspecies of slime.

“Take this!”

May immediately attacked with the shortsword in her hand.

“Whoa!”

After several attacks, the slime’s leap grazed her, knocking her onto her backside.

“You’ll pay for that!”

A single glancing hit had taken away eighty percent of her HP.

It was clearly an enemy far beyond what she should have been fighting.

However, as a beginner, she didn’t realize it.

“I did it!”

May bounced up and down in delight at her very first victory.

At that moment, a young girl approached.

She looked about sixteen years old, with long brown hair adorned by a cute red flower ornament.

“Are you hurt? Let me heal you.”

“Wow, thank you!”

The girl’s healing magic restored May’s HP completely.

Just as May was marveling at experiencing Heal for the first time—

“! Get down and hide!”

The girl hurriedly grabbed May’s hand and pulled her into the bushes.

Moments later, a gigantic golden lizard appeared, dragging its massive body through the jungle and knocking over trees as it moved.

“Wow, it’s huge…”

The giant lizard passed right in front of them.

Holding their breath, the two waited for it to move on.

“Come on, let’s run while we can.”

“Okay!”

Guided by the girl, May made her way through the jungle.

Eventually, they arrived at a small village.

“Wow… what a beautiful village.”

The houses were decorated with colorful flowers.

The rows of white thatched roofs and wooden decks gave the place a tropical atmosphere.

“Oh, welcome, adventurer.”

“Hello!”

The villagers greeted her casually.

Their brightly colored traditional clothing looked cool and comfortable.

“I’m back.”

“Big sis!”

Three small children ran up to the girl.

“We were worried because you were so late. We thought that giant lizard might’ve eaten you.”

“Sorry for making you wait. I’m fine.”

“…That giant lizard is really that scary?”

When May asked, the girl’s expression darkened.

“Our village has been suffering because of the ferocious Golden Lizards. At this rate… the village might be destroyed.”

“What!?”

The girl hugged her younger brothers and sisters tightly, her face filled with worry.

And May couldn’t ignore a kind older sister who was in trouble.

“Then leave it to me!”

“…Huh?”

“I want to protect this wonderful village and all of you!”

“B-But…”

“I’ll do my best!”

“…The Golden Lizard’s weak point is the differently colored scale on its chest. Please… save the village… save everyone…”

And so, her very first quest began.

“Roger that! Leave the rest to me!”

May declared confidently and turned on her heel.

“If that’s the case, it’d be safer if I defeat the monsters around the village too. I’ll patrol every day, and whenever I hear about a Golden Lizard from big sis, I’ll rush right over!”

The plan May came up with would work far better than anyone could have imagined.

First, she started with the nearby red-purple slimes.

She would level up by defeating monsters she could beat, then eventually challenge the Golden Lizards by targeting their weak point.

It was an ideal strategy.

And since no other players were in the village, she had all the monsters to herself.

“All right, time to start patrol duty!”

She raised her shortsword high into the air.

“Let’s do this!”

At that moment, May, who was experiencing a game for the very first time, made a terrible misunderstanding.

“————If I just keep fighting, eventually all the monsters will disappear!”

A truly ridiculous misunderstanding.

Of course, it was impossible to exterminate every monster.

Without realizing that, she remained in the jungle and obsessively continued completing the giant lizard extermination quest.

Even beneath a beach umbrella during family vacations.

Even from the spectator seats while watching her local festival’s parade.

Even in the corner of a classroom being used as a storage room during the school festival’s free period.

Even after lights-out during school trips.

While watching her classmates enjoy the best years of their youth, she continued fighting without end.

“…If I take my eyes off things, the village might get destroyed while I’m gone!”

Driven solely by her desire to protect them, she repeated the giant lizard extermination quest—

A staggering 34,658 times.

The elementary school girl Satsuki had somehow become a high school student before she even realized it.