“I’m the incarnation…? Was all that praying to Goddess Irmana worth it?”
But then I felt a twinge of fear about what ‘the Great Being’ might think if I became Irmana’s incarnation.
As far as I know, divine beings are prone to show unpleasant emotions without filter, and I believe their feedback is immediate.
I stood still, huddling in fear and watching the situation unfold.
“…It seems like she’s not particularly bothered.”
My intuition, the only connection I have, whispered that to me.
In fact, I even felt a warmth of Flame Energy as I gained an achievement.
“Fire and water are supposed to be opposites… How curious.”
There are certainly aspects of this situation that I can’t understand with my limited worldview.
But the message didn’t end there.
– “You performed remarkably to drive away the demon beast legion of ‘Jiksructor’!”
“Did Jiksructor retreat and take the other minions with him…? Thank goodness.”
I didn’t accomplish this entirely by myself, but it wasn’t surprising to hear that I had played a significant role.
– Experience points have significantly increased!
– A possibility for job change has been found.
– Complete the quest from the Goddess of Water Irmana and enter the job change stage!
“Whoa?! This is!!”
Hints about job change that had been eluding me for a while.
It was linked to Goddess Irmana’s long-term quest.
“Is it finally time for a job change?”
The long-term quest that Irmana gave me should conclude in a few days.
At least, I should be able to finish the job change before going to China.
“This is a great opportunity to gain more trust from Inessa.”
I needed to gain more trust while using her.
That way, cooperation would be finalized, increasing the chances of success when launching an ambush.
“Phew- I feel like I’ve got everything sorted. Time to head out.”
[Swamp Affinity]
I had a rough idea of where I was stuck.
After crawling through the endlessly stretching swamp for a while, I began to sense a large number of mines set up by the Corrupted Sea Nymph.
I found myself in the first hunting ground of ‘Nando’.
It seemed I had popped out right here from the dungeon.
Not only that, but instead of being at the entrance to the hunting ground, I was right in the middle of the swamp.
“If it were a person, they would have met a terrible end stuck in the swamp. These crazy fools must really have it out for me.”
Squelch- Squelch-
After trudging through the muddy piles, I finally poked my head out.
Suddenly—
“Kyahhh!!”
“What, what, what’s that!!”
I was faced with a diverse group staring at me as I emerged from the swamp.
I sensed them from the moment I came up, so it wasn’t super surprising, but seeing their bewilderment made me regret not taking a longer route.
Tap, tap-
Brushing off the gunk on my body, I faced the Beastman Party who were looking at me with wide eyes from a distance.
As I climbed straight up, I felt a familiar aura.
It was the party members that had been attacked by the deranged dwarves I labeled as villains last time.
“Even after that incident, they’re back exploring again; you guys really are not normal.”
Ordinary people wouldn’t want to return after such an experience, yet they looked even more energetic than before.
“……”
“……”
Of course, they were clearly on high alert now.
“……”
There was no need for me to involve myself with them.
Swoosh-
Just as I was about to divert my gaze and turn around silently,
“Ahhh!! Hey, over there!!”
The Rabbit Beastman leading the party hopped forward and called out to me in a lively voice.
“Thank you so much the other time! I think I didn’t get to greet you properly…”
“Thank you!!”
“Thanks a lot, Warrior!!”
One by one, they approached and bowed their heads in greeting, which struck me as a bit odd.
“How do they recognize me right away after I changed my armor’s appearance?”
It’s not uncommon for hunters to enter a dungeon while wearing full body armor—how did they immediately recognize me?
Zing—
“Oh no… Something’s… faintly connecting.”
A small girl with rabbit-like features stared at me looking terrified.
I realized late that an intangible thread extending from her heart was connected to my ankle, something I couldn’t detect with my ability just moments ago.
“Does it activate when I come within a certain distance…? It seems to be some kind of detection skill. Impressive. It’s so subtle.”
They must have placed it on me during the battle when they were saved, and even amidst battle, they managed to pin it on me—quite skillful.
“Hmm… I learned something. I need to be more careful during combat.”
Usually, such abilities are used to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.
They might have feared that I would change my mind suddenly and plan an ambush.
While I understand, it still felt a bit bitter to be regarded as a potential enemy, even though I saved their lives.
In that moment of contemplation—
Sahara…
“Oh…”
The two Beastmen secretly released the spell they had placed on me.
It was a little cute how they looked up at the sky and whistled to conceal it.
“They’re adorable. They even seem a bit like Fibryn.”
I casually waved my hand to acknowledge their thanks before beginning my serious hunt for the Sea Nymph.
Whoosh—
“I’ll have to catch whatever comes into sight as I move. [Larceny] might activate after all.”
After floating in the air for a while, I moved toward where the monsters gathered.
“…… Why are you following me?”
I couldn’t help but turn my head at the Beastman Party trailing behind me.
“Ahh…”
“Whew…”
They looked up at me with innocent expressions, but there must be something they wanted.
“Are they asking to form a party…?”
Other than that, they had no reason to follow me.
“Thinking of bringing in an outsider to your Beastman Party…? What makes you trust me so much?”
“Um, um—”
The Rabbit Beastman took a big breath and carefully approached me.
It seemed my prediction was on point, but first, there were things I had to handle.
[Root Chain]
Puffffff───!!
Cough—?!
Cough!!
The six Corrupted Sea Nymphs leaped from the swamp simultaneously, and I pierced them with roots made of bones.
Since I hit their heads precisely, instant death was guaranteed.
– You have defeated a ‘Corrupted Sea Nymph’!
– You acquired a High-Quality Mana Stone!
– You acquired a Water Rune (Advanced)!
Water Rune (Advanced)
– Water Attribute Skill Attack Power +57
“Oh, an elemental rune.”
It feels good from the start.
“These creatures are definitely weak in terms of physique.”
While their attack power is good, their defense is pitiful, so if I can just hit their weak points, taking down five or six at once like before isn’t too difficult.
Of course, the issue is that very few people can pull that off.
“Whoa…”
“Wow…”
The Beastman Party stepped back involuntarily as they covertly approached the monster group and saw me turn them into skewers in one go.
Gulp—
As I forcefully stuffed all six corpses into the space pocket, they couldn’t close their mouths.
“Whoa… You also have a [Storage]!”
“What was that thing that shot up like a spear from the ground? I’ve never seen that skill before…”
“You’re truly impressive!”
“Right? Arang, hurry up. Come on.”
“Ahem… Um, um, please don’t rush me too much.”
The Rabbit Beastman, whose name was Arang, approached me again under the pressure of her party members. Her name is quite similar to Ah-rin… I couldn’t help but wonder if they might be long-lost sisters.
“She really is tall.”
She had a great balance of physique and magic power.
Seeing her closely, she looked more like Ah-rin, and wielding a short sword also felt familiar.
“Um, um… Would you consider forming a party with us?”
She spoke in a stiff tone, like someone reading a textbook.
The small ears slightly bent like a ‘G’ showed just how nervous she was.
Looks filled with expectation from her party members and her fidgeting fingers suggested she wanted something.
“Seems like they’re asking for a ride. Though not as much as the dwarves, I’m sure Beastmen have a lot of pride too… Is there a reason behind all this?”
Given their capabilities and equipment, they could probably handle Entry-level hunting grounds well if they had a decent guide, which made me curious.
Hush—
“They seem to think I’m something special…”
It’s likely that they inferred I was some extraordinary individual from how I sensed the monsters in advance.
They weren’t struggling because they lacked combat power.
“Hmm…”
Perhaps it’s because she reminds me of Ah-rin, or maybe because these hunters have an unusually kind vibe, I felt a desire to help them.
“Still, I find it annoying…”
Even so, I couldn’t turn them down flatly because of the hunting grounds ahead.
“Moving around alone in there is a bit risky. Plus, I can’t be sure about the effects of the recent achievement, and getting accustomed to things will take time.”
Underwater combat.
Even with Aqua Plighter, combat power drops significantly.
If I encounter monsters from the Hellacne class, I could suffer without even being able to fight back.
It’s still a place too challenging for me to navigate alone.
“If there are plenty of bait, it wouldn’t be bad for me.”
Gaining experience by hunting monsters didn’t mean much to me stuck in the level 99 trap.
“Having an experience with other party members might be necessary once.”
I took out my notebook from my space pocket and expressed my intent.
[Just know I can disappear at any time.]
“Kyahh!!”
“Ah- yes, of course!”
“Thank you!”
A hunter who doesn’t need to express their voice?
That felt like it would raise questions, but they seemed not to mind much.
“But um… what should we call you?”
“A title…? Well…”
[…Just call me Alpha. And I’ll be the guide.]
“Thank you for that!”
“Ahh… Did he just declare himself an alpha male…?”
“……”
“Shhh- Shhh- Are you crazy?”
“…Should we call you by that code name?”
Nod—
“Alpha- Alpha-”
“Alpha, but doesn’t wearing armor that has no openings feel stuffy at all?”
Since I had been discovered to be a skeleton by looking into my eyes, I had blocked it entirely, yet that instead seemed to have drawn more attention.
I shrugged my shoulders and set off down the road silently.
“You’re really cool… But should we still check some conditions?”
“Who knows… Let’s just watch for now. After the battle, we might end up discussing things.”
“Focusing on the battle, that’s what I hoped for.”
“Do you want us to float?”
[No need to float for a while. Don’t waste magic power unnecessarily and just keep following me.]
“Ohhh…”
“You’re quite confident—”
“I saw enough earlier to believe it.”
“An unexpected stroke of luck…”
And that’s how an unexpected short journey began.
– Kiahhh!!
As we moved, the Sea Nymphs emerged from the water, unable to contain themselves as they noticed us avoiding the mines effortlessly.
But if you know beforehand, there’s no reason to fear these creatures at all.
“Not so fast!”
“Triple Smash!!”
“Mandalai—”
“Lines that can never be seen—”
“Everyone’s stats are quite impressive. Indeed A-rank elite hunters. Especially the lambs and rabbits seem enviable. It’s curious that the tiger is relatively lacking.”
They could certainly defend their own bodies.
They were just approaching me to increase their speed as well.
After that, we continued our hunt for about two hours and reached a Safe Zone, where we could rest.
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