My Protect skill can take my life but it can also help me flirt and make love with cold beauties!
Chapter 3: First Defeat!

El is changed to Elle.

...

After leaving the Hall of Heroes, I found myself standing in a vast grassland that stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, I could see forests, mountains, and a tall building that looked like a western castle.

Although it wasn't a skyscraper, it was still an impressive structure that stood out against the skyline. It was clear that I wasn't in Japan anymore - I had somehow stumbled into another world.

As I turned to look back at the Hall of Heroes, I noticed that the ground was partially paved with cobblestones. In the center of the paved area, there was a gaping hole that led down into a basement.

I had emerged from these stairs after meeting Elle, who had told me about the Hero's Room. The conversation had been confusing, but it seemed like there might be a clue to the true identity of the master down there. However, I knew that I couldn't dwell on that right now.

Elle, my companion, was innocently flying around me, and for the time being, it seemed like he would be coming with me.

First, let's aim for that castle in the distance, after all being alone in this deserted landscape is a little uncomfortable… Elle is here to accompany me, but well, I would love to see some fellow humans.

"What you see over there is Owas, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Ignia," Elle said.

"Have you ever been there, Elle?" I asked.

"Elle hasn’t," She replied. "But Elle has a lot of knowledge about this world, so Elle will guide Hero-sama from now on!"

El cheerfully led the way. Although I could already see the castle in the distance, I followed her lead out of courtesy since it seemed like a big deal to her.

We walked while stepping on the grass, and it was a little hot to walk in the shadowless grasslands that still avoided the high rising sun. It was the same climate as Japan now, about early summer.

It was quite hot, and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was just me who was overweight and sensitive to heat.

When I looked around while walking, even though it was a grassland, there were rocks of various sizes scattered here and there. When I was thinking about how I would like to rest in the shadow of a large rock, one of the rocks in the distance seemed to move.

"Am I mistaken?" I wondered.

At first, I thought it might be a trick of the light or heat haze, but as I continued to stare, the rock appeared to be taking small steps. I stopped in my tracks and stared, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Was I mistaken, or was this really happening?

As I approached the rock, it began to stretch and contract. It was an unusual sight, but Elle seemed unfazed.

"That's orange gelatin," she said, as if it were a common occurrence.

"Orange gelatin?" I repeated, unsure of what she meant.

"It's a monster. It's something you see around here."

"A monster!? Isn't it dangerous?" I asked, feeling a sense of unease.

"It's not dangerous, but rather weak. It moves slowly, and it's one of the weakest monsters on the continent."

Relieved to hear Elle’s assurance, I turned to leave and head towards the castle.

"Where are you going?" Elle asked, perplexed.

"Eh? To that castle?" I replied.

"Rather than focusing on that, since there's a monster here, aren’t you going to defeat it! When it comes to the responsibilities of hero-sama, monster extermination comes first!" Elle declared with conviction.

I was taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm. While I appreciated her courage, I didn't feel comfortable attacking a creature that hadn't even threatened me.

"If you leave them alone, they will multiply. If they

Her words resonated with me. As the hero, it is my duty to protect the people of this world from harm.

"Alright then, let me decorate my first battle in this world as a hero," I said, steeling myself for the task at hand.

Approaching the gelatin, I realized it is larger than I had initially thought. It is about the size of my waist and had a transparent, plump body. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"What are you doing? You are a brave hero and there are endless battles waiting ahead. This is not the time to hesitate," Elle encouraged me.

Taking a deep breath, I unsheathed the dagger at my waist and swung it down at the gelatin. I expected to slice through it easily, but instead, my arm was bounced back by a sticky, viscous substance.

"Uh...Huh!?"

The dagger slipped out of my hand and clattered to the ground. I looked at the orange gelatin, which had barely reacted to my attack.

Suddenly, the orange-gelatin body that was staring at me in a daze shook. The next moment, the top of my head swells and attacks my face while bending like a whip.

Wuh-PSSSH!

I was hit hard on the cheek and fell to the ground with a strong sense of pain flowing in me.

Ker-Snap! Snap! Snap!

The monster hit me with its whip-like tentacles on my back as I fell face down and pain runs through my body every time the beating sound echoes in the grassland. While crawling on my knees, I somehow escaped out of range of the whip.

"T-strong!"

I knew I had been foolish to underestimate my opponent. "Is this the weakest monster?" I asked, only to realize that I was about to be killed.

"No way, hero-sama, are you fooling around? You’ll be facing many small fries from now on. So, don’t fool around and get rid of that monster quickly and seriously."

Elle arrived beside me and said to me with an astonished face.

"I'm not fooling around! That was my real strength!"

"Oh, come on. Let me take a look. Hmm... strength...3? How is this possible?"

"Wait a minute. What is this 'strength 3' you just mentioned?"

"Elle is able to quantify the abilities of others to some extent. According to Elle’s estimation, hero-sama’s physical strength is 3. The physical strength of a very common human in this world is 5. To put it bluntly, your strength is below an ordinary person’s."

"Oh, oh..."

Curious, I asked El to estimate my abilities as a hero. She assessed me as follows: Strength 3, Leg strength 2, Physical strength 2, Magic power 1, and Dexterity 5. Apparently, the average person in this world had a strength score of 5, except for magical power, which was rated at 3. To put it bluntly, I was below average in every way.

Meanwhile, the orange-gelatin monster had the following ability scores: Strength 6, Leg strength 1, Physical strength 6, Magic power 2, and Dexterity 1. Clearly, it was much stronger than I was.

"Um, how should we pick that dagger. Let me see... That’s it… Since it’s already like this, maybe you shouldn’t force myself. Yes.. Uh… that’s the thing."

I murmured while El remained silent and picked up the short sword that had fallen in front of the jelly. I never thought I'd be worried about a fairy like her...

The orange jelly didn't seem to be following us. Since it didn't show any hostility towards El when she went to pick up the sword, it was probably just acting on its defensive instincts when it attacked.

I turned my back to the monster and retreated, feeling embarrassed that my first battle ended up with me covered in dirt.