Reincarnated in a VRMMO: I'll be the strongest

Chapter 10: Two Sisters

In the royal capital Celestia, there are various shops.

Weapon shops, of course. Also general stores selling potions, taverns, bookstores, and even a public bath.

I used the reward I received to come to the public bath and take a bath.

I had been thinking about the future, but after taking a bath, I felt refreshed.

Various built up things washed away, and my head felt clearer.

Thinking about it carefully, I was still the lowest rank, F.

It is no wonder they were suspicious that someone like that suddenly hunted 32 monsters. Even when I was a beginner, it took me a long time to beat just one.

It is not like I am in a hurry, so I should just take it slow and enjoy myself.

When I thought that, I felt relieved. A positive mindset is important.

So, from tomorrow, I decided to enjoy this world while going on adventures.

The next day.

I left the city to hunt monsters, but this time I thought I would hunt a different one.

Today's target is the Horn Rabbit. Commonly known as the one horned rabbit.

This one is stronger than a slime, but weaker than a Hunter Wolf.

It might be just right for me now.

So today I plan to mainly hunt Horn Rabbits.

To put it simply, it was easy. I suppose that is only natural.

I hunted about ten and took them to the adventurer guild, and they appraised them normally.

As expected, the price was lower than for Hunter Wolves.

It seems this level does not arouse suspicion.

So, until my rank goes up, I decided to hunt Horn Rabbits to raise my level and earn money at the same time.

Then the next day.

It happened on my way back after finishing hunting Horn Rabbits, just like the day before.

I heard a girl's voice from somewhere.

I was curious, so I decided to walk toward the voice.

Are you okay?

I am fine! Th th th this is nothing!

Ah, there they are.

A short distance ahead, two girls were facing off against a slime.

One girl had short hair and was standing in front of the slime holding a club.

The other girl had long hair and was watching the scene nearby with a worried look.

I will help you too!

Stay back, it is dangerous! I will handle this one alone!

It seems she is going to fight that slime.

But is she going to be okay?

That girl, how should I put it, is crouching terribly. She is clearly backing away. Even to an amateur, it looks dangerous.

Maybe she has no combat experience.

Here I go!

You can do it!

The girl in front raised her club.

And then...

Yah!

She swung it down at the slime, but it was a glancing blow.

That will not do much damage.

Oh no...

The slime judged that it had been attacked and immediately went into counterattack mode.

Of course, the one with aggro is the girl who attacked.

Look out!

What?

The slime's full body slam hit.

Gah!

!! Big sister!

The girl who took the hit fell backwards from the impact.

Hey, hey. No way.

You are kidding. You lost to a slime?

Big sister! Big sister! Wake up!

The slime prepared itself to pursue further.

Eek...

At this rate, they will...

...

...Ah, damn!

I immediately grabbed my sword and dashed.

Ora!

I arrived and instantly killed the slime.

Hey! Are you okay?

Huh? Ah, th, thank you for saving us.

That other girl looks bad. Is she alright?

! That is right. Big sister! Wake up!

The girl who fell to the ground was limp.

The other girl shook her body desperately.

Hey, wake up! Big sister! Open your eyes!

...

No, please don't die... hey... please... wake up!

She nearly died from a slime attack?

Slimes are the weakest monsters.

And from one hit?

Hey... I said hey! Big sister!

Move aside.

Huh?

I am going to heal her, so move.

! Please! Please save my big sister!

I approached the fallen girl and knelt down.

Heal.

Heal is a common recovery skill.

This should work.

I healed her. She should be fine now.

Really!?

...Ugh, um...

!! Big sister!

Oh, good. She seems to have woken up safely.

Huh? I was in a lot of pain, but now I feel fine...

Big sister!

Wah!

The girl who had been crying hugged her forcefully.

The fallen girl did not seem to understand the situation.

Oh no! I thought you died! I was so worried!

Ah ha ha. I am sorry. I made you worry.

Please don't push yourself!

I told you I am sorry. By the way, what about the slime?

Ah! That person beat it! And he also healed you, big sister!

I see. So that is what happened.

It seems the girl with short hair is the older sister, and the one with long hair is the younger sister.

Um, thank you for saving us. I am truly grateful.

Thank you so much! Thank you so much! I cannot thank you enough!

Ah, yeah. This was nothing big.

But I was surprised.

I never thought there would be someone who could be taken down by a slime.

Come to think of it, looking closely, that weapon she is using is not a club. It is a thick tree branch.

Where did she even find that?

And she tried to defeat it with that?

Hey, let me ask you something. Why are you using that? Even against a slime, that is rough.

Because this is all I have.

Huh? You do not have a better weapon? If you go to a weapon shop, there are plenty of better ones.

I do not have the money to buy a weapon.

What?

She does not even have money to buy a weapon?

No way...

We just left the orphanage. So we have no money to buy expensive things like weapons.

I see.

So that is it. These children also grew up in orphanages, just like me.

They must be from a different orphanage than the one I was in.

Then why not look for a normal job? Once you save up some money, you could buy a weapon. Going adventurer without a weapon is more than just a thorny path.

No one would hire us.

Huh.

Who would hire the likes of us?

...

So becoming adventurers and hunting monsters is our only option.

...

Ah.

So that is how it is.

I understand. I understand everything. Now I understand.

That is right.

No one would hire some orphan who just appeared.

But if this continues, they will either starve to death or turn to crime. Either way, it will not end well.

So in the end, they have no choice but to become adventurers to get by.

So their future was almost decided the moment they left the orphanage.

But they have to fight monsters without even money to buy a weapon.

It is not impossible if you try, but most children would be defeated instead.

I remember now.

Come to think of it, when I first registered at the adventurer guild, the receptionist named Reimi looked at me with pity.

So that is what it meant.

A child leaving an orphanage registers at the adventurer guild, but after that day, they never show up again. She must have experienced that many times. That is why she acted like that.

Slimes are the weakest class of monster in this world. Honestly, it is harder to lose to them.

But a monster is still a monster. If it attacks you, it hurts, and you could even die.

For the inhabitants of this world, no matter how weak, it is still a threat. Especially for orphans with no combat experience, it would feel even more threatening.

For a normal orphan, even a single slime is a struggle.

This is the common sense of this world.

A world of survival of the fittest.

The law of nature.