“Die.”
The Orc Warrior casually glanced at Guitar 3 and, without any further words, swung his spear wildly with one hand.
Thud! Ratatatat-!
“Ugh-!!”
The man could barely defend himself against the Orc’s haphazard swings.
– Kya-hahaha!!
– It’s a human rat. He ran away again.
– Make him spew his guts!
Watching the man frantically focus on defense and dodging, the Orc Warriors just giggled together.
‘Honor is important, my ass…’
If the opponent is trying their best, isn’t it honorable to respond sincerely to that? Judging by their petty behavior, it seemed that the Orc’s notion of honor and my own were worlds apart.
[Strafing]
[Warrior’s Strike]
As the Orc Warrior let his guard down, Guitar 3 dodged with a side-to-side movement and landed his strongest attack on the Orc’s leg.
Splat-
But the man’s critical strike only resulted in a minor injury to the Orc Warrior’s thigh.
“This is nonsense…! My attack didn’t do anything—”
“Hmph!”
Swish-
“Ugh―!!”
The Orc took advantage of the momentary lapse, and Guitar 3, with one arm cleanly severed, tumbled to the ground.
As the Orc lazily watched, lifting his spear to the sky and twirling it, I dashed out quickly, pulling the severed arm and the man back into our formation.
“Ugh-huh-”
Guitar 3 bravely jumped into battle, despite his fear, but the gap in skill was too evident. Without a special ability to bridge that gap, this was the only possible outcome.
‘Still, you did well. It must have been scary for you.’
Lacking skill is just for now; in a few years, Guitar 2 and 3 will surely grow to find Orc Warriors like this laughable.
‘So there’s no need to fret over it.’
Seeing Guitar 3, crying and snot-nosed, made my heart sink.
I carefully moved the man and his severed arm over to Noh Ha-yoon.
Noh Ha-yoon shook her head and began retrieving something from her inventory, placing it on the man’s arm to reattach it.
But seeing her generously pour a high-rank potion on her party member, she doesn’t seem like someone who neglects her comrades… Watching Noh Ha-yoon, I couldn’t help but feel that her every action seemed a bit clumsy.
‘If only we could communicate, we might have been able to make a proper person.’
There’s no helping it. I can only hope that mouth opens a bit during the job change.
“Grroooar-”
The Orc Warrior hadn’t finished off the man in style, which seemed to annoy him. He puffed up his already large body and strutted around the other Orcs while shouting.
Was he trying to elicit some response? He had more showmanship than he looked.
Because he looked so relaxed, I sharpened my senses and began reading the second job change options.
=====
Skeleton Fire Sorcerer
– The path you’ve walked is filled only with charred ash and the fragrant scent of burning. To you, who are sincerely devoted to burning and exploding, we present a new path.
– In addition to the existing capabilities of a Bombardier, you will wield a more diverse range of fire element magic.
– Strength limit is maintained.
– This class includes a quest for the next job change. Choose carefully.
• You step onto the path of a Great Sorcerer who dreams of immortality.
• You tiptoe onto the path of the Destruction Bomb Sorcerer.
• You step away from the path of a Death Knight.
• You completely stray from the path of the Shadow Lord.
• You step onto the path of the King of the Undead.
– You realize how to use the Fireball.
– You realize how to use the Fire Arrow.
– You soon recognize the potential of Wall of Fire.
– The potential for magic of all elements, excluding the holy element, is opened up to you.
– You first awaken to the magic of nature, ice, and rock elements.
– Magic Power +70
– Wisdom +50
– Resistance +5
– Recovery +15
Special Ability: Damage +50% when hitting with fire element magic.
• Job Change Quest
– Defeat 10,000 monsters with attribute skills.
=====
Ah… what the hell is this? Did I read that right?
As I read down the explanation, I lost my mind at the last line.
‘Ten thousand?! Are you out of your mind? When will I catch that?’
And it isn’t just catching them; I have to do it with skills.
‘Haa… the number I usually catch in a dungeon with bombs doesn’t even reach 50…’
Even if I assume the kill numbers will increase, I’d need to be dungeon crawling for at least over 100 days to even qualify for the next job change. Of course, that was just an estimate, and it could take much longer.
‘It means a powerful job change is possible, but… can I buy that much time?’
– Uwooooaah!!
As I watched the Orc Warrior still performing his ceremony, I fell back into thought.
‘Whatever. So I’ll take the traditional sorcerer tech, right? Starting with fire attribute magic I’m used to from the Bombardier, gradually expanding into other attributes… Naturally, I can’t use holy attributes, can I? Hmm- I guess I won’t be able to heal?’
Well, what would there be to heal with undead?
If I choose this, will I really become a sorcerer? A Great Sorcerer, even?
It was something I never even dreamed of.
‘This is a choice that makes my heart race a bit, even though I don’t have a heart.’
If I had been a fire attribute sorcerer from the start, I wouldn’t have much hope for a skill like Fireball, but since it’s a higher class job from being a Bombardier, it should possess an overwhelming power not seen in basic magic.
Heh—
Imagining myself gracefully unleashing a Fireball, it seemed like quite the sight.
‘The only downside is… the strength limit…’
Even considering all the Giants’ Runes I have lying around, it was still somewhat disappointing.
And it doesn’t seem like the best fit for protecting Yeon-hee. I realized that for sure after trying Bombardier for about a month.
While it’s the best choice for large-scale battles, would I even have time to cast magic against a powerhouse like Jo Gi-man? Of course, that would be resolved as my level rises, but for now, it would surely end up being another self-destruct technique.
‘Hmm…’
But even considering that, it’s undoubtedly an attractive option. When Orc Legion Commander invaded Seoul, it wasn’t because the Hunters were weaker than the Orcs.
It was overwhelming numbers.
As the saying goes, there’s no rival against a group assault, so I can’t neglect preparing for that time.
‘But why are there four options, yet five paths to get there?’
King of the Undead.
Skimming through, there seemed to be no direct option to step into this path. All of them only indicate ‘tiptoeing.’
‘What is this? Does there need to be other conditions to reach it?’
As such questions arose, the Orc Spearman finally turned towards me.
‘What a real celebrity has arrived.’
Did he know I was the last contender? Or was it thanks to the pleading Orc spearman? Three hundred Orcs began stomping their feet in unison.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Spearman Orc seemed to have an inkling of my level, unlike the others.
Phew—
This time, he set his stance properly and took slow steps to the side, seeking for an opening in me.
“A skeleton. Strong for a skeleton.”
“Clap, clap, clap!!”
‘That guy has unnecessary eyes for looking. But still, this is my first time fighting like this with proper stance.’
I held the dagger in reverse grip and quietly watched him.
The reddish aura rising in his chest made his whole body tremble like freshly butchered cow meat.
Those abnormal muscles were not only a magnificent armor, having withstood the strikes of the ordinary warrior skills from Guitar 3.
‘Can I inflict a wound with my swing?’
Now I would test that out.
[Stealth]
――!!!
Against a formidable opponent, there’s no time to spare. If we are pushed back here, the people remaining in the dungeon won’t even get a small chance to retreat.
Of course, that would also apply to Yeon-hee and the sorcerers, who are just now catching their breath.
Swish—
Using the distraction of the Orc being caught off-guard, I rushed behind him and leapt into the air with all my might.
Woosh—
The dagger of Arhen glimmered softly, charged with magic, and I buried it into the monster’s eye.
Thud—
“Graahh!!”
As soon as the dagger pierced in, I quickly twisted and then stored the dagger away into my inventory, landing on the ground.
Familiar with the space, and needing a certain level of agility to perform this maneuver, their biological nature was such that if any weapon lodged into their body, it would be firmly held in place, preventing extraction. Attempting to pull it out would likely end with being caught by their fearsome grip. So I needed to strike fast and retreat.
Retrieving the dagger again, I cautiously approached the enraged monster, who had lost one eye.
The remaining eye seemed determined not to get damaged, as one arm was rigidly guarding that side.
Woosh—
Just as I approached again, the monster’s spear lunged directly at me.
‘Of course, I was marked.’
These beasts usually have excellent senses, but the blood that splattered from my dagger marked my body, allowing them to pinpoint my location.
However, there was no reason to uncloaked now. I wouldn’t be one to get hit by aimless attacks.
By keeping my distance and gradually whittling down its health, I would eventually win. Of course, this only holds if they expect me to wait, but as long as the commander doesn’t arrive, this ridiculous duel would remain possible.
“Tricks! Human, how cowardly!”
‘What? Do I have to engage in a battle of strength with you?’
Slashing carefully, I took small chunks out of its flesh while withdrawing.
Grrroar—
It wouldn’t help much to boost my strength with [Warrior’s Roar].
Magic Power 96/117
Even though I was low on magic maintaining stealth and manufacturing bombs, my recovery speed was so fast now, it was a comfortable situation.
“What… is he stealthing?!”
“This crazy… a skeleton soldier can even stealth with bombs? Noh Ha-yoon, what is that? Is that even possible?!”
“This needs to be reported to the Vice Guild Leader immediately! He even manipulates his inventory with ease.”
“Isn’t survival the priority? And you still can’t hold on to your arm properly; it’s misaligned right now.”
“Ugh, why does it keep slipping?!”
“Everyone, shut up… you’re getting in the way of my sight.”
As I fully revealed my abilities, the expected reactions erupted from my companions.
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.
