“Did you really get dumped by the first young master?”
At the eastern wall of Whissen Castle, Belkan swiftly turned his head at the familiar voice from beside him.
“…How did you know that?”
“There are ways to find out. Since all your subordinates failed, your only option left is the second young master, right?”
“I’d rather take action myself than use that guy. It might be a bit embarrassing, but still.”
“Aren’t you underestimating the second young master too much?”
“He’s better than before, but he’s still pathetic.”
“Well, think what you want. By the way, even though it’s been a while, you’re still as ugly as ever.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“That’s not entirely wrong, but I meant that.”
Violet replied slyly, pointing her chin below the castle wall.
Grrrrooaar-
In the hazy mist beyond the barrier, shadows began to emerge one by one. They were all twisted imitations of human form, known as the Gaki, the cleaners of the demon realm.
Grrrrooaarrr-
They, who only craved rotten flesh, were stumbling towards the decaying corpse of Lemut.
“Isn’t that Lemut they’re after? Was there anything special about it?” Violet asked, her brown eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“If there was something unique, it was that it could only fully exert its power in environments similar to the sea. It generated an artificial sea fog from its entire body.”
“Interesting. And?”
“Underneath the wall, it had nested and laid its eggs. Knowing its habits made it easy to handle.”
“Knowing means you already had information on it? Information on a beast I didn’t know about?”
Violet tilted her head, and Belkan, becoming more arrogant, raised his nose.
“Of course. Did you really not know what Lemut was, being the medicine sect Lord?”
“…”
“There’s a bestiary of rare beasts in the master’s study. Maybe you should spend more time with books.”
“…What did you say?”
“Are you deaf? Want me to say it again?”
“Deaf? Do you want to die, you pig?”
“Anytime. Knowledge is power. An ignorant person like you can’t beat someone as educated as me.”
The two glared at each other, tension building. Belkan gripped his sword while Violet placed her hand on her chest.
Boom-
The fierce current between them swept across the outskirts of Whissen Castle. After a tense standoff, they both sighed and sat down.
“Enough. Fighting you here is not worth it.”
“I’m tired, so let’s do it next time. Anyway, why are you here? If you’re done, go back home.”
“I wanted to see what the young master was up to. We’re close friends, you know.”
“You used to ignore him. Since when did you become such close friends?”
“Why so curious? By the way, are you just going to leave that as it is?” Violet pointed below the wall.
By now, the Gaki had surrounded Lemut’s corpse. Belkan shook his head in annoyance.
“They’ll leave once they’re fed. No need to waste energy on them.”
Belkan shook his head. The reason for not sending soldiers to exterminate them was simple. Even if the Gaki were exterminated, new ones would come as long as Lemut’s corpse remained. It was unnecessary to deal with them unless they caused more trouble.
“Hmm… In that case, can I take care of them?”
Violet gently stroked her shoulder, like caressing a newborn.
“Are you going to unleash the Food Spirit here?”
“My babies have been hungry for a while. Some unfortunate soldiers might die… Oh?”
Violet abruptly stopped, tilting her head. She noticed a man running up to the watchtower at the top of the wall.
“Isn’t that the young master? Is it?”
She blinked. With a similar face, a familiar sword, and the bundle she had given him, it seemed to be Jin. But his drastic weight loss made her uncertain.
Belkan also stared at Jin in wonder.
“He’s lost so much weight. Is that your doing? I didn’t know the Apothecary Lord developed weight loss potions.”
“Friends should help each other. The young master was indeed a bit bulky, wasn’t he?”
Violet replied slyly, and Belkan, stroking his chin, nodded.
“Now that he’s lost weight, he’s more presentable. Not completely ugly. Still not as good-looking as me, though.”
“What nonsense. Tsk.”
Clicking her tongue, Violet scratched her cheek, recalling recent events.
‘It might not be suitable for combat, but it could be useful for cosmetic purposes. Hmm… If I can improve the side effects and sell it, I could make a fortune…’
I had judged it impossible to use in actual combat, so I had buried it away. But thanks to Jin, I discovered an unexpected benefit.
“But what’s that guy doing now?”
Belkan pointed to Jin, who was arguing with the soldiers on the wall.
“Looks like there’s some problem.”
They were too far away to hear the conversation, so just as I was about to use mana to amplify my hearing, Jin suddenly threw himself off the wall.
“Whoa?”
With only a sword in his hand, Jin leaped into the mass of Gaki below the wall.
“Aaaaaaah!!!”
At the sound of the ensuing scream, both of us frowned, thinking of the same thing.
“…What is he doing?”
Using the sword Belkan gave me as a brake, I slid down the steep slope of the wall, grabbing my numb wrist in amazement.
“Wow… this actually works.”
The height was dizzying. Most people wouldn’t even think of trying this, but with an enchanted, reinforced sword, enhanced strength, and my traits, it was possible.
Feeling a bit proud, I looked up to see my comrades’ pale faces.
“Boss! Why are you doing acrobatics here! I’ll praise you later, so come back now!”
“Boss! Are you crazy? Just walk half a day forward, and it’s the demon realm!”
“How could you even think of jumping from that height… No, that’s not important. Did you desert? If you come back now, I’ll let it slide!”
“If you had just opened the gate, this wouldn’t have happened. Tsk… the scabbard is ruined.”
As I discarded the tattered scabbard, my comrades and Ged shouted desperately at me.
“Do you want to see someone die? Come on, let’s talk if you have a problem!”
Ged, who had recently been harshly dealt with by Violet, looked as pale as a sheet.
“I’m telling you, it’s fine. I wouldn’t do this without a plan.”
The two branch family heads sitting on the wall, watching me. I glanced at them and then walked towards the Gaki swarming over Lemut’s corpse.
Grrrooaarrr-
Despite my approach, the Gaki continued to devour the rotten flesh, oblivious to my presence.
“So, you’re not interested in a living person, huh?”
Muttering to myself as I observed the creatures, I swung my sword without hesitation at the nearest Gaki.
Slash-
With a chilling sensation of cutting through flesh, the Gaki’s emaciated body split in two.
“Screeeech!”
As it shrieked and splattered blue blood everywhere, I felt a peculiar euphoria sweep through my body.
─[Strength] has slightly increased.
The trait of the avatar that grows by killing monsters had activated.
“Alright.”
Already lighter from losing weight, my body felt energized. The sword in my hand felt slightly lighter, and my vision seemed clearer.
Grrrooaarrr-
Perhaps sensing the death of their comrade, the Gaki, who had been solely focused on eating, suddenly froze. Hundreds of pairs of yellow eyes stared at me, half-decayed flesh still in their mouths.
I raised my tension and untied the bundle on my back. The bundle contained the items I had requested from Violet.
Inside were a waterproof cloak, a vial of berserker’s blood, and a pair of chainmail gloves.
“The gloves aren’t enchanted… oh well.”
I had hoped for too much. Feeling slightly disappointed, I put on the items. As soon as I did, an enraged Gaki charged at me, baring its fangs.
“Kaaargh!”
As the berserker’s blood took effect, my vision turned red. My focus sharpened, and I could clearly see the creature’s movements.
“Hup!”
Grabbing the charging Gaki by the jaw, I slammed it into the ground with all my might.
Thud-
The Gaki’s head crushed instantly, and it trembled as it touched the ground.
“Not so fast!”
I plunged my sword into its heart as it tried to rise, feeling another surge of energy.
─[Strength] has slightly increased.
─Current Strength: [42]
By killing just two of them, my strength had increased by 1. This was a level that would normally take nearly a whole day of intense training to achieve.
“As strength increases, the rate of growth will decrease, but… this is pretty good.”
As I felt satisfied, a dark shadow loomed over me.
The Gaki, who had been swarming Lemut’s corpse, leaped at me simultaneously.
“Roughly 150… no high-tier ones.”
I quickly took a few steps back, leaning against the wall, and began cutting down the approaching Gaki.
“Screeeech!!!”
Blue blood splattered on the waterproof cloak, bouncing off.
“Glad I brought the cloak.”
Grabbing one Gaki by the neck, I threw it with all my strength.
Crash! The creatures collided and fell over each other. I swung my sword at the entangled mass.
Slash- Slash-
A blue rain fell on the outskirts of Whissen Castle. My vision was flooded with messages of increasing strength.
“Screeeech!!!”
Deflecting a Gaki’s claws with my sword, I blocked another’s fangs with my chainmail glove.
“Huff…”
The drug’s effects intensified, narrowing my vision. Time seemed to slow. All I could see were enemies, enemies, and more enemies.
─[Strength] has slightly increased.
─[Strength] has slightly increased.
─[Strength] has slightly increased.
Cutting down Gaki after Gaki, chunks of flesh fell like hail. It was damp and sticky.
Slash, slash again. Block, kick, punch, grab, stab, swing, pull, crush.
Screeeech!!!
I moved ceaselessly, the Gaki’s blood-curdling screams filling the night sky.
─You have entered a state of [Hyperfocus].
─All abilities have slightly increased.
Instinctively, I knew. The combination of constantly increasing strength and the effects of the berserker’s blood had brought me into a state of perfect transcendence, rarely achieved even in the game.
How much time had passed?
As my sword cut through the last Gaki, still searching for prey in the air, a sharp clash interrupted me.
Clang!
With a powerful impact, Belkan’s blue sword blocked mine.
“…What are you doing?” Belkan, who had been watching from the wall, asked.
Whether it was due to the hyperfocus or Belkan’s strike, the numbing effect of the berserker’s blood began to fade, and my senses returned.
‘Good.’
I had achieved both goals.
The first was to prove my worth to Belkan by slaughtering Gaki before his eyes. The second was to increase my strength by killing Gaki.
“I was just doing what was necessary.”
I answered nonchalantly, glancing around.
The battlefield was littered with corpses, and the Gaki that were still alive were writhing in agony. Through the mist of their blood and groans, a hellscape unfolded.
“Screech… screech…”
As the remaining Gaki breathed their last, I received the awaited message.
- [Strength] has slightly increased.
- Current Strength: [100]
- Your strength has reached a certain level, and your rank has increased.
- A fixed class suitable for your aptitude has been assigned.
- You have obtained the class: [Warrior].
[Warrior]
▶A class specialized in close combat. Exhibits exceptional talent in weapon and martial arts and can skillfully control magic. Entering a combat state grants additional attributes.
▶Entering combat state grants a [10%] bonus to all abilities.
- Based on your disposition, additional effects have been granted to the [Warrior] class.
▶Additional Effect
▶[Over-Immersion]
- A certain probability of entering [Hyperfocus] during combat situations.
‘Nice.’ The Warrior class was a top-tier combat class.
Having experienced it once through the first seven-star hero, King Richard, it wouldn’t be hard to plan my growth path.
‘Things are going better than expected. Plus, getting an additional effect with such a low probability?’
As I silently celebrated, Belkan, with a stern expression, pointed his sword at me.
“Follow me.”
