I’m glad it turned out this way. At least Yeon-hee didn’t have to see me like this.
Right now, she was busy tuning the summoned creature and pulling back the bowstring.
While using abilities to recover magic power with the help of the orb, the Helen combo showcased their true skills, and another ten minutes passed.
The summoned creatures that had reclaimed the terrain where the defense wall was first set were now pushing the orcs back decisively.
The Orc Warriors struggled to adapt to their malfunctioning bodies, tumbling over themselves in their confusion, with many of them spilling dark red blood.
Just how long had it been since the first point of poisoning? They were truly foolish creatures, and I was so relieved by that.
We had definitely gained the upper hand.
While many orcs still remained, we were riding a winning streak, and the orcs were falling helplessly.
‘These guys aren’t the end… Please let them not come our way…’
The 600 or so other Orc Warriors that hadn’t chased us weighed heavily on my mind, but my fading vision was so frustrating.
‘Yeon-hee…’
.
.
.
– Huh- ah?
– Hah- oh, it’s gone. Gone?
– I… I killed them all…
“We won… we did it!! We won!! Woooooahhahaha!! Wow! Jin-kyeong! We’re alive!”
“Sis, this isn’t a dream, right? Huhuhuh- Aaaah!!”
“We really did it!! Did the gods want us to keep doing the Hunter jobs?”
The Helen duo was crying and hugging each other in disbelief.
Lee Yeon-hee, Noh Ha-yoon, and Bae Joo-ah were sprawling on the ground around the orb, gasping for breath.
At that moment, a message popped into my head as if to interrupt their rest.
– You have achieved an unbelievable feat in annihilating an unmanageable large-scale Orc squad!
– Achievement [Orc Competitor] acquired!
[Orc Competitor]
– In battles against orcs, all attributes +20
·····Huh?
– Kyaaaahhh-!!! Jackpot!!!
– Hahaha!! What’s going on for real!!
Hearing the Helen duo’s cheers, Noh Ha-yoon and Bae Joo-ah frowned, but soon their lips curled up, and they began to giggle.
“I don’t know either, they can come if they want!”
Even if hundreds of orcs appeared hearing this cheer, we could just fight and win again, right?
It was an absurd confidence, but they had accomplished an achievement worthy of it—after all, they had taken down nearly 40% of the forces that crossed over through the gate.
Lee Yeon-hee also had a fleeting smile, and she really wanted to discuss this achievement with Il-wol.
“Il-wol…”
Ugh—
Yes, Yeon-hee felt guilty for not paying attention to Il-wol due to the chaotic battlefield. That monster had likely sustained severe injuries after slamming against the cliff, just waiting for her to arrive.
So, despite not having the strength to move even a finger, she stumbled as she walked toward the wall where Il-wol flew.
“Il-wol— Hehehe, aren’t we amazing? We received a fantastic achievement too! Did you get it too, Il-wol? Il-wol—”
Yeon-hee reached the area where she assumed Il-wol was and found his right side lying on the ground, a faint smile on his face.
“Were you very hurt? Can’t you move? … Il-wol?”
But soon, she sensed something was wrong, and she started to run.
When she arrived, what lay there was just the half of Il-wol’s skull, sprawled out.
Moreover, his entire skeleton was reduced to fragments, scattering on the ground like sand.
“Uh… Huh? Th-this can’t be… Did I… not see any messages…?”
No. She had unconsciously erased everything that interfered during the battle.
Even the message that Il-wol had collapsed…
It had to be that way; it must have been necessary.
– Skeleton Bombardier Il-wol has shattered.
– Resummon in <11:47:33>
Yeon-hee stared blankly at the clearly visible message, then suddenly slumped down in despair.
“……”
And behind her, Noh Ha-yoon, who was gazing at Il-wol’s remnants, wore a face twisted in shock.
* * *
*Clap, Clap, Clap!!*
I sat there glaring unhappily at the innocent door.
‘It was much better than last time I died, but mmm—’
At least this time, I died after finishing things up, so I should consider that progress, right?
‘No! That can’t be!! Dying like this repeatedly is unacceptable!’
Just like during the last dungeon break and now, I had fallen behind during the battle.
‘Surviving until the end to protect Yeon-hee is the best!’
– Powerful enemy has been defeated!
– Experience points have dramatically increased.
– Rune of Absorption (High-Rank) acquired.
– Level up! Choose three attributes to increase.
– Level up! Choose three attributes to increase.
I had killed an Orc High-Rank Warrior, and my level increased by two stages, and I even obtained the Rune of Absorption (High-Rank).
I didn’t particularly recall collecting a rune, but I had it somehow. Anyway, it was my first High-Rank rune in my skeleton life.
Rune of Absorption (High-Rank)
– Recovers 8 magic power on defeating an enemy.
‘Oh, 8 is pretty good. I should replace this with the Rune of Magic (Low-Rank). But considering the hardship, the reward seems a bit small…’
There was a lot to process in my mind, but I couldn’t think straight as I worried about her well-being.
‘Is Yeon-hee okay? We shouldn’t let any of the ones spread across other areas come here…’
<11:48:17>
A 12-hour resummon cooldown.
‘This must be a curse, I’m sure of it! It’s driving me insane…’
As I held my smooth head in frustration, a message popped up.
– Achievement [Orc Competitor] acquired!
Clap—!!
Seeing the rising message, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
If I had received an achievement, it meant we had overcome the immediate situation.
Of course, that alone didn’t make my worries disappear.
600 orcs.
‘They have a considerable lead over us, so the chances of encountering them are likely low. I should risk it at this point.’
Suppressing my worries, I looked back at the achievement.
‘… There was this achievement? All attributes +20 against orcs? Just looking at the figures, it’s on par with Irmana’s Blessing. Of course, it’s limited to orcs.’
Well, considering I had survived against several higher-tier creatures, receiving this reward seemed fair.
– New choices have been updated.
‘Oh… finally…! If I class up, will the resummon time also cut in half?’
Yeah. To get out of here quickly, I need to class up first. What updated options would I get?
Skeleton Bombardier… Skeleton Fire Sorcerer… Skeleton Assassin… Skeleton Mage?
=====
Skeleton Mage
– You have stepped into the path of a transformed mage and made a reckless choice to walk both the paths of shadow and sword. Surprisingly, you have successfully grown all three. For one who does not wish to lose any of them, an unprecedented possibility is presented.
– If a being of death that defies the “clock” steps into the path of the Mage, it will be recorded in [Akasha’s Tome] as a new history.
– This job includes quests for the next class change. Choose wisely.
– This is the job where growth is the slowest among the prepared options. Choose wisely.
– The abilities of the original Bombardier remain intact.
• You step onto the path leading to the Knight of Death.
• You step onto the path of the Immortal Great Sorcerer.
• You step onto the path of the Shadow Lord.
• You step onto the path of the Destructive Bombardier.
• You step onto the path of the King of the Undead.
– Possibilities open for flame and rock attribute magic.
– Acquire skill [Flame Slash].
– Growth of the trait [Penetration] speeds up by 10%.
– The restrictions on Stealth will be lifted upon quest completion.
– One chance for stat reset will be given upon quest completion.
– Experience points needed for level-up will increase by 10%.
– Max number of bombs stored +10
– Strength +35
– Wisdom +35
– Agility +30
– Health +25
– Magic Power +25
Special Ability
– Attack damage +45% on hit.
– Once every 5 level-ups, you can definitely steal a monster’s skill or trait.
• Class change quest
– Defeat 10,000 enemies using characteristic skills.
– Defeat 10,000 enemies in stealth with the dagger type.
– Defeat 10,000 enemies with a single strike using a great sword.
=====
‘Wow… this is outrageous.’
This choice forced me to take down thirty thousand enemies, with three different methods, plus the requirements had gotten even stricter.
‘Hmm… This class change quest is pretty absurd. To eliminate enemies in stealth with a dagger and one hit with a great sword… Stealth is understandable, but taking down a monster in one blow is easier said than done. I’m no Swordmaster…’
What level of monster would I be able to take out in one blow? Assuming I castrate them from behind in stealth…
‘Hobgoblin? I could probably manage a Lizardman. Do I have to plunge into that dungeon? It just feels like low-tier monsters won’t count against the total…’
I’ll only know for sure once I venture into the dungeon, so I’ll check later.
‘This option clearly doesn’t lead to a specific path. It leaves all directions open, like a fishing net where each path is dipped in.’
Possessing the potential to walk down every avenue or to walk every path together, the growth will, however, be slower.
‘A 10% decrease in growth rate isn’t that huge, so thinking positively, it matches with Yeon-hee’s growth speed.’
Of course, since it was a choice gained after meeting conditions, it was intriguing in many ways. Particularly, the part about definitely stealing a skill every five levels was highly attractive.
Because there were many monsters that I couldn’t encounter often, this could be very useful.
‘This is amazing?’
From somewhere, I thought I could hear the pounding of my heart.
The heartbeat of a choice.
‘Skill [Flame Slash] sounds like it could be something useful.’
I felt like it might have some benefits when swinging a sword, but I was curious about what specific capability it might have. Perhaps flames arise when swinging the sword?
‘[Flame Slash], show me the description!!’
·········
‘… Status window!! System!!’
·········
‘Ahhh damn it…’
The system was as annoyingly unhelpful as always. I’d probably have to class up to find out what [Flame Slash] is.
And receiving the lifting of restrictions on stealth and the one-time chance for stat resetting upon quest completion was satisfying.
While other options would have rewards tied to single conditions, in this case, those bonuses were tied conditionally.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
