Chapter 45

This story is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names are all fictitious and have no connection to any real entities.

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043 - Sword Gargoyle Hunting Patrol

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As soon as they entered the boss room on the 6th floor, a Sword Gargoyle appeared.

"Gandalban, go!"

"Roger!"

Gandalban rushed forward and activated the skill Anger Lock.

Anger Lock is a skill that attracts enmity, commonly possessed by knight-type jobs.

After confirming Anger Lock, Anneleise's Fire spell burst into flames. The Sword Gargoyle's HP dropped significantly, but it was still far from defeated.

Rosalina also began attacking the Sword Gargoyle. The four soldiers joined in the attack.

"Enchant Ice"

I bestowed Enchant Ice, which adds ice attribute damage, to Rosalina.

"Enchant Fire"

I also bestowed Enchant Fire to Rosalina.

While I could have bestowed Enchant Ice or Enchant Fire to the four soldiers, these two enchantments are more effective when used on a job with more attacks. Rosalina, as a Battle Master, has far more attacks than a swordsman or spearman, so I inevitably bestowed them to her.

"Anger Lock!"

Gandalban activated Anger Lock again to fix the enmity.

The Sword Gargoyle's HP was being steadily whittled down.

The soldiers were also chipping away at it. I instructed the four of them to land one hit each and then avoid taking any damage. Given their low attack power, they only needed to participate in the battle to create a record of their involvement.

"HP Recovery!"

Gandalban's HP, which was being drained by the Sword Gargoyle's attacks, was being restored using the skill HP Recovery.

Rosalina also has the skill HP Recovery, but there is a difference in the effectiveness between a Battle Master's HP Recovery and a Strong-Armed Knight's HP Recovery. As expected, the Strong-Armed Knight's HP Recovery is more effective.

"I'm casting... Fire!"

Anneleise's magic burned the Sword Gargoyle, reducing its HP to below 30%.

"HP is fully recovered."

"I can hold out for a day with this level of attack! Anger Lock!"

Gandalban, who was taking all the attacks from the Sword Gargoyle, still had the composure to speak.

The soldiers, with Gandalban drawing the enmity, were able to attack safely without taking any damage.

I didn't expect Gandalban's enmity control to be this stable. I think it's because he's dealing a decent amount of damage with his sword. As expected of someone with the name 'Strong-Armed.'

In the end, Anneleise's magic finished off the Sword Gargoyle.

"Perfect victory. Well done."

"......"

Gandalban gave me a long, hard look. What's up with that?

"Does the head of the house have the Enchanter job in addition to being a Sword Master and Explorer?"

Since I bestowed Enchant Ice and Enchant Fire to Rosalina, it was bound to be noticed. I had no intention of hiding it since we were in the dungeon together.

"Hehehe. I have the Enchanter job."

"Enchanter? I've never heard of that job before."

It's a rare job that only has a 1 in 10,000 chance of appearing, so it's understandable that he hasn't heard of it.

"The Enchanter is a magic user who can't attack on their own but can enhance the damage of jobs like Rosalina by adding fire or ice attributes to their attacks."

"That's why you were so calm, head of the house."

Gandalban looked oddly satisfied.

"Even without the Enchanter, we have Anneleise's magic, so it's not a problem."

"That's true."

After the conversation, Gandalban called the soldiers over.

"How are your levels?"

"Level 12!"

The dog beastman soldier, Bartz, became a swordsman at level 12.

"I'm level 13."

The lizardman soldier, Jojok, is a swordsman at level 13.

"Level up!"

The cat beastman soldier, Rin, is a spearman at level 12.

"I've leveled up too."

The fox beastman soldier, Solida, is a spearman at level 11.

All the soldiers leveled up. Given that the Sword Gargoyle was over 10 levels higher than them, it would have been strange if they didn't.

Incidentally, Anneleise, Rosalina, and Gandalban didn't level up, but I did. I'm now an Enchanter at level 19.

"Hey, I know this might be a bit much, but we're going to hunt at least five Sword Gargoyles today."

"「「「「「What!?」」」」」"

Gandalban and the soldiers were shocked, but as expected, Anneleise and Rosalina didn't bat an eye.

"Leveling up by hunting bosses. Even if your levels go up, I'll keep doing this until my level is high enough."

"「「「「「Understood.」」」」」"

So, we continued hunting Sword Gargoyles.

After six hunts, my Enchanter reached level 21. I learned new spells at levels 15 and 20, which made me quite happy.

Anneleise is a Mage at level 23, Rosalina is a Battle Master at level 22, and Gandalban is a Strong-Armed Knight at level 23.

The four soldiers are also between levels 17 and 18, growing quite well.

<Drop Items>

- Normal Drops: 5 Gargoyle Swords, 80,000 Gils

Today, we got a rare drop, the Gargoyle Buster. Since it's a two-handed sword, Gandalban can't use it. I decided to give it to Jojok, the highest-level swordsman, and sell the normal drop Gargoyle Swords.

80,000 Gils (800,000 yen) in just half a day is a good profit.

I've spent quite a bit on equipping Gandalban and the soldiers, and on tailoring noble clothing for myself. Money keeps flowing out, so earning funds is important.

Unfortunately, I've been kidnapped and trained by that Vulcan every day, which has been tough on both my body and my wallet.

On the 51st day of my reincarnation, we went out to hunt Sword Gargoyles again.

This time, I decided to use the Two-Handed Sword Hero instead of the Enchanter.

Rosalina has leveled up and can now deal damage on her own, so it's a good time to level up the Two-Handed Sword Hero.

"That's Mithril... As the head of the house, I won't comment."

Gandalban seems to have reached some level of enlightenment?

"You're starting to understand the head of the house, Gandalban."

No, no, what are you saying, Anneleise?

"I'm the head of the house!"

Rosalina remains silent.

"Alright, let's go!"

"「「「「「Roger!」」」」」"

"Yes."

"Yes, sir."

I started pounding the Sword Gargoyle with the Mithril two-handed sword. It's really hard; at level 14, the Two-Handed Sword Hero can't deal much damage.

"Take this, Ice Slash!"

But the Two-Handed Sword Hero has elemental attacks!

"......"

The damage was minimal.

Can't help it; I'm not a Mage, so my INT isn't that high.

"Well, some damage is better than none."

At least it's not zero. That's a relief.

Anneleise's Fire spell finished it off, and the Two-Handed Sword Hero leveled up. I'll keep leveling it up at this rate.

Fortunately, the 6th floor is unpopular, so there are hardly any explorers. We can fight back-to-back without waiting in line for the boss room.

"Here it goes!"

I cast Ice Slash, and the Sword Gargoyle disappeared.

At level 25, the Two-Handed Sword Hero is strong. No, it's the Status Points (STP) that are amazing.

STP resets when you change jobs, and I currently have 66 points. If I allocate these to INT, the damage from Ice Slash against the Sword Gargoyle will be incredible.

I have to reallocate points every time I change jobs, but the effect is so powerful that it's worth the effort.

On the 52nd day of my reincarnation, I was an Assassin, on the 53rd day, I rested, and from the 54th to the 55th day, I was an Explorer. I took a break on the 56th day and leveled up the Sword Master on the 57th and 58th days.

The Assassin's critical hit and stealth were so good that it wasn't difficult, but leveling up the Explorer was tough. The Sword Master, as expected, was very strong, and I managed to level up all three jobs to level 25.

While leveling up the Sword Master, I noticed that I had a new unique skill.

"Master, I know you understand, but it's impossible for unique skills to increase."

Anneleise's face is so close. Can I kiss her?

"But Rosalina learned a unique skill, didn't she?"

"Rosalina evolved her race. It's extremely rare, but it's written in some literature that unique skills can be learned during racial evolution. But you haven't evolved your race, have you? Are you saying you evolved from Human to High Human?"

She rambled on at a rapid pace.

When I checked my status, to my surprise, my race had indeed become High Human (I was taken aback).

"Make sure no one else finds out about the double job and High Human!"

Anneleise was shouting as if she was about to go crazy. I remember her face at that moment clearly. Beauty is beauty, no matter what expression they make.

- Double Job: Allows you to set two jobs. The main job's stats are 100%, and the sub-job's stats are 50%. All skills from both jobs are usable.

There was no (Beginner) mark indicating proficiency for the double job. It seems there is no proficiency level.

However, the content is quite surprising. I felt this would definitely be a trump card unique skill.

Additionally, everyone who accompanied me in leveling up my various jobs reached level 28. It seems that Sword Gargoyles don't allow leveling up beyond level 28, so everyone except me is at level 28.

<Drop Items>

- Normal Drops: 132 Gargoyle Swords, 2,112,000 Gils

- Rare Drops: 20 Gargoyle Busters, 1,600,000 Gils

- Total: 3,712,000 Gils

22 Gargoyle Busters dropped. Since Jojok is already using one, I gave one to Bartz, the other swordsman. I kept one as a spare and sold the remaining 20.

This way, the two swordsmen and I will be equipped with Gargoyle Busters.

Incidentally, attacking a Sword Gargoyle with a Gargoyle Buster doesn't petrify it. I think it's because it's already a stone statue, so it doesn't petrify no matter how much you attack it.

Also, between the Gargoyle Buster and the Mithril two-handed sword, the Mithril two-handed sword has better performance.

My main weapon will remain the Mithril two-handed sword, but I plan to equip the Gargoyle Buster when outside. The Mithril two-handed sword is more valuable, so it feels more appropriate for my status (or so I think).

<Toi>

[Job] Enchanter Lv21

[Spells] Magic Power Enhancement (Intermediate), Enchant Hard (Intermediate), Enchant Accelerate (Intermediate), Enchant Fire (Intermediate), Enchant Ice (Intermediate), Enchant Attack (Beginner), Enchant Regeneration (Beginner)

[Unique Skills] Detailed Appraisal (Advanced), Item Box (Advanced), Double Job

* No unique skill notation below.

- Enchant Attack (Beginner): Increases the ATK value of one ally or all allies by 50 points. MP cost: 8 × number of targets. Duration: 3 minutes. Cannot be used for 5 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 15.

- Enchant Regeneration (Beginner): Automatically regenerates the HP of one ally or all allies. HP regeneration: 30 points per minute. MP cost: 7 × number of targets. Duration: 10 minutes. Cannot be used for 5 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 20.

<Toi>

[Job] Two-Handed Sword Hero Lv25

[Skills] Command (Intermediate), Full HP Auto-Regeneration (Intermediate), Body Strengthening (Intermediate), Buster Slash (Intermediate), Ice Slash (Intermediate), Acid Strike (Low), Perfect Parry (Low), Experience Aggregation (Beginner)

- Acid Strike (Low): A two-handed sword technique. Deals 2x ATK damage. Has a 50% chance to reduce the enemy's DEF and MDEF by 30%. MP cost: 12. Duration: 3 minutes. Cannot be used for 2 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 15.

- Perfect Parry (Low): Completely dodges an enemy's attack. MP cost: 15. Duration: 40 seconds. Cannot be used for 10 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 20.

- Experience Aggregation (Beginner): Gains 30% of the experience points earned by all subordinates. (Passive Skill) Learned at level 25.

<Toi>

[Job] Assassin Lv25

[Skills] Critical Hit (Intermediate), Stealth (Intermediate), Erase Traces (Intermediate), Godspeed (Intermediate), Perception (Intermediate), Wall Pass (Intermediate), Disguise (Intermediate), Trap (Low), Capture (Beginner)

- Disguise (Intermediate): Disguises appearance and stats. MP cost: 7 per minute. (Active Skill) Learned at level 13.

- Trap (Low): Sets, detects, and disarms traps. (Passive Skill) Learned at level 19.

- Capture (Beginner): Temporarily paralyzes an enemy. Duration: 10 seconds. MP cost: 5. Cannot be used for 10 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 25.

<Toi>

[Job] Explorer Lv25

[Skills] Dungeon Move (Intermediate), Treasure Hunt (Intermediate), Mapping (Intermediate), Danger Perception (Intermediate), Escape (Low), Rare Drop Rate Increase (Beginner)

- Danger Perception (Intermediate): Detects danger. (Passive Skill) Learned at level 15.

- Escape (Low): Escapes from a location where skills are disabled. MP cost: 25. Cannot be used for 1 hour after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 20.

- Rare Drop Rate Increase (Beginner): Increases the drop rate of rare items by 10%. (Passive Skill) Learned at level 25.

<Toi>

[Job] Sword Master Lv25

[Skills] Double Slash (Intermediate), Mind's Eye (Intermediate), Solid and Strong (Intermediate), Keenness (Intermediate), One-Point Breakthrough (Low), Illusory Sword (Beginner)

- Double Slash (Intermediate): A sword technique that attacks an enemy twice in succession with either a two-handed or one-handed sword. 3.5x ATK. MP cost: 10. Cannot be used for 3 minutes after activation. (Active Skill)

- Mind's Eye (Intermediate): Predicts enemy attacks and optimizes the user's movements. (Passive Skill)

- Solid and Strong (Intermediate): Increases the user's STR, VIT, AGI, and DEX by 35 points each, and INT and MIN by 25 points each. (Passive Skill)

- Keenness (Intermediate): Increases the ability to detect danger and threats. (Passive Skill) Learned at level 8.

- One-Point Breakthrough (Low): Temporarily sets the enemy's DEF to 0 and nullifies skill effects for one attack. MP cost: 8. Cannot be used for 3 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 16.

- Illusory Sword (Beginner): Ensures all attacks hit during activation. Duration: 10 seconds. MP cost: 8. Cannot be used for 5 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Learned at level 22.

[Job] Sword Master Lv25

[Race] High Human

[Stats]

- HP: 4