Chapter 75

【Ichinou's level has increased.】

【Alchemist Skill: Obtained Decomposition.】

【Mage Skill: Ice Magic has upgraded to Ice Magic II.】

【Apprentice Enchanter Skill: Obtained Shield Magic.】

【Apprentice Blacksmith Skill: Obtained Engraving.】

【Obtained Recipe.】

With the ants retreating, messages of level-up flowed through my mind.

Damn, for ants, they put up quite a fight. Next time they show up, I'll seal their nest.

Also, my Unemployed level has somehow risen to level 79.

At this rate, I'll be at level 80 before I know it.

"How are the three of you? Did your levels increase?"

"Yes. My Beast Swordsman level reached 10, and I obtained the Beast's Blood skill. It dramatically enhances physical attack power and speed for 10 minutes, but after 10 minutes, there's a disadvantage of being unable to move for 1 minute."

"It's a skill you need to use carefully."

"Yes. Also, my Lumberjack level reached 11. I would like to change my second job to Pugilist."

"Congratulations! By the way, Haru also took down quite a few ants this time."

I willed Haru's second job to change to Pugilist. When I asked Haru to confirm, it turned out she had successfully become a Pugilist.

"Thank you, Ichinou, for helping me just now. But, I have one question. Is there something you're keeping from me?"

"What do you mean?"

"My Hunter level reached 4. This time, I didn't do anything. Even though we're in a party, the experience points I should receive are only 1/8th. Army Ants are tough when they gather, but I've heard their experience points aren't that high. My level increased too much, no matter what."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Ichinou, I won't say anything about thinking of me as a fool. But, you asked Carol earlier, 'Is it okay to keep your first job as a Gatherer?' That means it's possible to change your first job. Carol was trying to hide it, but you also freed her from the Enchantress's curse, didn't you?"

"...Marina, you're not as stupid as I thought."

Well, I didn't really mind if it was found out, but my words were too careless, huh? If this continues, I'll be the fool.

"It's one of my blessings. I receive blessings from two deities, Koshomare-sama and Torelour-sama. The experience points I earn from defeating enemies are multiplied by 20, and I can freely change my jobs."

"Is that all?"

"No, I still have more secrets. Should I reveal everything?"

When I asked with a smile, Marina shook her head silently.

"No, I appreciate you telling me. But, sometimes it's better to keep things hidden. Like the secret behind a magic trick. Also, I've learned Bow Equipment. Next, I want to change back to a Commoner."

"Alright..." I changed Marina's second job back to Commoner. Despite her usual lack of awareness, she seems to have a good sense of when to read the room.

"How about Carol? You changed her Enchantress job to something else halfway through, but what's her Enchantress level like now?"

"Yes... although it was only halfway, her Enchantress level has firmly reached 5. Moon's Allure has upgraded to Moon's Allure II. As an inherent skill, I can't check how it changed. Also, she learned the Charm spell, which is a spell used by Song Mages."

"Song Mage?"

"A higher-level job that unlocks when you raise both Singer and Mage levels."

"Really? I didn't know that."

Still—

"Well, with Marina now able to use Magic Bows, things should be much easier. Let's continue tomorrow."

I took off my armor and jacket. The wounds were healed by recovery magic, but the equipment couldn't be fixed. The iron armor had deformed where it was exposed to acid, and part of my clothes had burned through the gaps in the armor. The clothes were probably beyond repair. Fortunately, I had bought several sets, so I took out a new one from my item bag and changed. What to do with the armor? I could use it as is, but it doesn't look very good.

"Um... Ichinou-sama..."

Carol called my name, looking like she had something to say.

"I have one more thing to look forward to."

"Huh?"

"See, I'm also training as an Apprentice Blacksmith, so I need to be able to fix armor like this easily. Also, the ants' venom only causes pain. My HP didn't decrease at all, so I'm fine."

"From what I've heard, large monsters like dragons and rock birds deliberately bathe in the ants' acid to get rid of parasites."

Haru told me. Ant bath.

On Earth, some birds use formic acid to remove ticks. It's the same thing. Still, using acid that can dissolve metal to remove parasites is pretty impressive in this world.

"I've heard that the acid from Army Ants is used in making metal alloys. Therefore, the ant's acid sacs are bought by the Adventurer's Guild, but it requires high dissection skills."

"Got it. Haru, Carol, Marina, please gather the ants. I'll dissect them."

I changed my jobs to Hunter and Dissector. Dissecting monsters also increases experience points for the Dissector job.

It does require skill to cut open the abdomen and remove the acid sacs. They're quite fragile. About 30% of the ants we defeated had their acid sacs already broken from the shock of battle. Touching the acid that leaked out would definitely cause chemical burns, so I had to be careful while dissecting.

Despite weighing less than a tenth of a brown bear, the work was several times more tiring. Normally, transporting the dissected parts would also require delicate handling, but with my item bag, it's easy to carry. Also, the Army Ants' fangs and skin can be sold. The ant meat is edible, but I have no intention of eating it, so I'll sell it too. In total, after dissecting thirty ants,

【Ichinou's level has increased.】

【Dissector Skill: Food, Mineral, and Metal Appraisal has upgraded to Food, Mineral, Metal, and Monster Material Appraisal.】

【Dissector Skill: Dissection II has upgraded to Dissection III.】

【Dissector Skill: Dexterity UP (Minor) has upgraded to Dexterity UP (Small).】

【Hunter Skill: Obtained Eagle Eye.】

【Hunter level cannot increase any further.】

【Title: Master Hunter obtained.】

Well, I got a good reward, so I'll call it a day.

*Note

From this point on, the novel and manga versions enter an original storyline.

Jofre and Elise are wanted by the church, and the Centaur steals something important from Marina.