Chapter 42

"Damn it! You did it on purpose!"

Walter, lying on the treatment bed, shouted in anger.

Last night, we went out to exterminate a group of Lesser Dragons, but during the mission, Walter and Red were severely injured. According to their accounts, they were caught up in a Lesser Dragon that was blown away by an explosion spell.

"It wasn't on purpose."

I responded firmly. The truth is, I used the spell because I didn't sense their presence.

"Ugh, the blast... the Lesser Dragon flying over..."

Red, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, lay on the bed. He seemed to be in worse condition than Walter, and he was moaning as if he was having nightmares.

I didn't feel guilty watching them. Because...

"Why did you two approach so stealthily? I thought you were killed because I didn't sense your presence, so I took down all those Lesser Dragons at once."

"Ugh... that's..."

When I countered, Walter was at a loss for words. He avoided my gaze, but I waited for a satisfactory answer.

"How are they doing?"

Gloria entered the room.

"They both need a few months to recover."

Potions can only heal minor injuries. Even with high-level healing magic, High Healing can't heal broken bones. Full-body burns and fractures. To heal Walter and Red, we would need either high-level Ex Healing or an Ex Potion (which is rare and expensive).

"You brought it upon yourselves for using dirty tricks and not telling Tim about the large number of Lesser Dragons."

"Wha! Damn it!"

When Maron said this, Walter let out a voice filled with condemnation.

"Is that true?"

When I asked Walter,

"W-we need absolute rest. Get out of here!"

He threw a tantrum and kicked us out.

"I'm really glad Tim is safe."

When we left the room, Gloria sighed in relief.

"What were they thinking?"

Maron muttered angrily. It seemed I had been set up by Walter and Red.

"What should we do now?"

Gloria asked. As the leaders, Walter and Red would be hospitalized for a while, so we couldn't leave the town.

Without a front-liner, we couldn't return to our town, and we couldn't take on jobs without one.

"I'm going back first."

Despite the issues, the battle was undoubtedly a decisive victory for me. After all, I had taken down all 16 Lesser Dragons.

"Can I go with you?"

"Is that okay?"

I asked if it was alright to leave Walter and Red behind.

"It's fine. It's pathetic to be defeated by dirty tricks. They brought it upon themselves."

Her words were harsh, but understandable. Even though I was unharmed, it could have been dangerous if I hadn't awakened that skill.

"Me too... I want to go with Tim!"

When I was thinking, Gloria joined in.

"Sure, why not..."

Since we were just going back to our original town, I agreed and started to leave.

"Hey, Tim, where are you going? How about we celebrate the successful mission with a drink?"

Maron often invited me. I wasn't uninterested in the post-mission celebration, remembering my early days as an adventurer.

But I yawned in front of them and said,

"I've been up all night, so I'm going to rest first."

I returned to my room.

Back in my room, I opened my status screen. I was excited to check my status, which is why I declined Maron's invitation.

"This mission was really profitable."

The Lesser Dragons definitely had more experience points than the monsters I've faced before.

Thanks to monopolizing the monsters, I was able to level up at an unprecedented rate.

I had set my job as a Mage, and my level had risen from 27 to 39 after the Lesser Dragon extermination.

It was the first time I had gained so much from a single mission, and I was surprised.

However, such a big catch might not come again, and I was a bit scared that I might be disappointed when I return to the dungeon.

"All of this is thanks to the 'Designated Skill Effect Double' skill."

I had been an Apprentice Adventurer until I arrived here. When my level exceeded 30, as I had expected, I was able to acquire a new skill.

When I reached level 30, I was excited to check if the limits on 'Increased Experience Gain,' 'Increased Skill Points Gain,' and 'Increased Stat Points Gain' had been lifted, but they hadn't changed.

It seemed the limit for these skills was level 5, and I was disappointed, but then I noticed a new skill in the list.

The new skills were 'Designated Skill Effect Double' and 'Designated Skill Effect Double Remove.'

From the description, the former seemed to double the effect of a designated skill.

It cost 30 skill points, but I had 155 left, so I was able to max it out to level 5. It seemed that each level increased the number of skills I could designate, and at level 5, I could choose 5 skills.

After some consideration, I decided that the top priority for doubling the effect should be 'Increased Experience Gain,' 'Increased Skill Points Gain,' and 'Increased Stat Points Gain.' Doubling experience points would speed up leveling, and more skill points and stat points were always better. These were the foundation of my current strength, so there was no room for doubt.

The problem was what to do with the remaining two skills. I had to make some assumptions, especially about the 'Designated Skill Effect Double Remove' skill.

Since pressing it had no effect, the requirement seemed to be 5 skill points. The effect of this skill was likely to remove the doubled effect of a designated skill and return it to normal. If that was possible, I could experiment with boosting effects and choose the skill I wanted to double at the moment.

This would expand my options in battle and allow me to excel in various areas. The issue was the condition for removing the effect. Would it be a one-time thing, or could I switch it multiple times?

After some thought, I decided to designate 'Increased Item Drop Rate Level 5' as one of the skills, even though it might be a waste. If my assumption was wrong, I could still farm in the safe layers of the dungeon. This skill was the most stable, so I chose it in case I couldn't remove it.

The last skill I chose was 'Burst Level 6.' This was the most powerful magic I could cast at the moment. Sword skills couldn't turn the tide of battle instantly, but magic could. 'Burst' could be combined with other spells, so I thought it had high versatility.

The result was correct. Thanks to 'Fire Burst' with doubled power from 'Mana Concentration,' I was able to crush the enemies (and Walter and Red).

"Phew... I'm really sleepy. I'm afraid I might allocate points incorrectly, so I'll sleep for now..."

With that thought, I fell asleep while looking at my status screen.

Name: Tim

Age: 16

Job: Mage 39

Strength: 311

Agility: 311

Vitality: 341

Magic: 336 + 78

Spirit: 226 + 39

Dexterity: 307 + 39

Luck: 450

Stat Points: 180

Skill Points: 149

Unique Skill: 'Status Manipulation'

Designated Skill Effect Double: 'Increased Skill Points Gain Level 5,' 'Increased Stat Points Gain Level 5,' 'Increased Experience Gain Level 5,' 'Increased Item Drop Rate Level 5,' 'Burst Level 6'

Acquired Skills: 'Swordsmanship Level 7,' 'Bash Level 6,' 'Healing Level 6,' 'Light,' 'Trap Detection Level 5,' 'Trap Disarm Level 5,' 'Backstep Level 5,' 'Item Appraisal Level 6,' 'Dagger Mastery Level 5,' 'Fire Arrow Level 6,' 'Ice Arrow Level 6,' 'Wind Arrow Level 6,' 'Rock Shot Level 6,' 'Meditation Level 6,' 'Wall Level 6,' 'Mana Concentration Level 6,' 'Bless Level 6,' 'Cure Level 6,' 'High Healing Level 6,' 'Safety Wall Level 6,' 'Speed Up Level 6,' 'Stamina Up Level 6,' 'Item Box Level 4,' 'Designated Skill Effect Double Level 5'