Chapter 9

# 9

1st Job Change (2)

"Such familiar skills."

The skills of a Berserker were quite simple.

Rather than using flashy techniques, a Berserker's fighting style was to charge straight in and bash the opponent's head. Therefore, many skills were not necessary.

Many people who tried to gauge a Berserker's strength early on ended up dying without even getting a chance to do anything.

Moreover, the ability stat bonus that a Berserker received upon job change was quite high, making it easy to overwhelm with sheer power.

"Still, it seems like party play is a mess from the start... I didn't really think about it anyway."

However, the reason why the number of users choosing a Berserker was extremely low was due to the skill called Berserk.

A skill that, when used, could boost stats by 200%, provide infinite mana, and grant an invincibility effect, making it a cheat among cheats.

If you only considered the skill's effectiveness, it could be considered one of the top five skills across all classes. However, this skill had two fatal drawbacks.

"Still, this time I have Indomitable Will from the start."

These were the inability to distinguish friend from foe and the aftereffect penalty.

When the Berserk skill was used, the entire field of vision turned red, making it difficult to distinguish between allies and enemies. While it might be possible to discern in a small-scale battle or when facing monsters that are clearly different from humans, in a large-scale battle or when facing humanoid monsters, it could become a time bomb that ends up harming allies. This made it difficult to join parties or even guilds.

Rokan became a solo player largely due to this influence.

Before obtaining Indomitable Will, he was rejected because he couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and after obtaining it, he had already made many enemies, so he was still rejected.

Rokan didn't actually want to be a solo player.

"Well, if I want to follow my plan, being alone is more convenient."

And this time, he was alone because there was no one who could follow his plan. In fact, he had to be alone, as the tasks he was about to undertake were almost impossible.

"The aftereffect problem... the only solution is to level up the skill quickly, right?"

The aftereffect, which lasted 30 minutes compared to the 10-minute duration of Berserk, was a very long time. The risk of a significant stat drop, which increased with higher levels, made it more beneficial to include any other class in a party rather than a class that would be in a weakened state for 30 minutes after a 10-minute fight.

Of course, even without using Berserk, a Berserker could still exert considerable combat power, but the lack of skills meant that performance was heavily dependent on individual control.

As a result, the evaluation of solo play was not particularly good.

With such a comprehensive evaluation, it was no wonder that the number of people searching for Berserker had dwindled to almost none.

However, Rokan's evaluation was different. To him, such evaluations were made by people who didn't understand what The Lord was about or what Berserk meant.

Achieving near-impossible feats and obtaining rewards for them, thereby gaining much stronger abilities than others.

In this sense, Berserk was the skill most optimized for The Lord's title system.

After all, all of Rokan's remarkable records were achieved with Berserk.

In a game where ordinary play only yielded ordinary strength, The Lord was such a place.

'In many ways, I'm lucky.'

Moreover, this time he had obtained a title that reduced the experience points needed for job skill level-ups by 30%, which would certainly speed up the process of reducing the penalty from Berserk.

"20 silver... I'm not sure if it's enough."

Rokan fiddled with the silver coins jingling in his pocket and headed for a nearby general store.

An armor shop caught his eye, but he passed it by. In a situation where a tattered leather armor that would make you sweat profusely cost several silver, investing in low-level armor that would soon be replaced was a luxury.

Instead, he decided to invest in consumables that could restore food and health. Given his considerable health and endurance, he wouldn't take much damage in most situations.

His only equipment was an axe received as a job change reward, but it had truly remarkable stats.

All users' base stats were 10. With five stat points gained for each level, a user would have 45 free stat points at level 10 when they could change jobs.

Adding the minor title effects, additional stats, and job-specific stats, a typical increase from level 1 would be around 50 points.

The total was 50, not the average. If the common distribution of stats for a combat class was 1:1:1 for strength, agility, and health, it would be difficult to exceed 30 in each.

However, Rokan's stats were already more than double that.

If you considered only the stats, he wouldn't be outmatched even by the top-tier 50-level users.

'Can this really be called level 1?'

He was disappointed by his low intelligence and wisdom, but since he wouldn't encounter monsters that used magic immediately, it didn't matter. Rokan didn't have any skills that applied magic attack power either.

The birth of a monster that would disrupt the ecosystem.

Rokan knew this best, and he knew what he could do.

Therefore, his next action was already decided.

"Looking for a bus driver! Destination: inside the Orc Camp."

Rokan used the Shout skill to raise his voice in the square. Shout, which also caused a slight decrease in hunger, not only made a loud noise but also displayed a text balloon above his head, making it easy for others to see.

Many people already used this function to do business in the square, but Rokan's shout was enough to draw attention.

It was because the destination was the Orc Camp.

'After about a month, there should be quite a few people who can enter and exit the Orc Camp.'

The Orc Camp was a high-level hunting ground that could be accessed from around level 30.

How many people could take him there was unknown, but it was certain that it would be quite profitable.

For this reason, a few people approached Rokan with interest. However, Rokan repeatedly turned them down. They looked like scammers.

'Scam artists are still overflowing.'

While others might not notice, Rokan, with his memories from his previous life, could roughly estimate their level and equipment setup just by looking at them, as well as their fighting style.

However, among those who approached, there were almost none who could survive in the Orc Camp, and the few who seemed decent didn't meet his conditions.

What Rokan wanted was not a "pro" who would form a party and level him up.

However, the party that approached him a little later was a good fit.

They were actually hunting in the Orc Camp, and their equipment included items dropped from the Orc Camp. They weren't fully equipped yet, but they were close.

"Are you going to the Orc Camp?"

"Yes, just to the inside. I won't form a party, and you can keep any items you get along the way. I'll just watch during the fights. The cost is 15 silver."

"Hmm, it seems like you're here for sightseeing. That's a bit tough... but okay."

The man who spoke for the group pondered Rokan's offer.

Recently, there were quite a few people making such offers. They would propose a certain amount of money to form a party and level them up or to protect them and show them areas they couldn't reach at their current level.

Under normal circumstances, they would have rejected such offers without a second thought, but their current situation made them consider it.

"You don't need to protect me after we enter. I'll handle it from there."

Seeing an opening, Rokan immediately pressed. He knew what their concern was.

It seemed they could barely survive in the Orc Camp and didn't have the confidence to protect others.

"Alright, we'll accept. And, sorry, but... can we get a deposit? It's not that we don't trust you, but we're out of money... hehe."

A moment later, the man, scratching his head awkwardly, spoke. They had just been wiped out and didn't even have enough money for basic consumables.

"Here, 10 silver."

Rokan handed over 10 silver without hesitation. While a "contract" system would be updated in the future, for now, he had to trust people.

Seeing him pay the deposit so readily, the party slightly misjudged him. They thought he must be a rich player.

In fact, Rokan, who played without spending money on the expensive account and capsule fees, didn't look good. However, he had no intention of scamming them. They soon replenished their consumables and gathered around Rokan again.

"Let's introduce ourselves. I'm the knight Pale, and this is the mage Elphi and the cleric Rose."

Before setting off, the party leader briefly introduced his team.

A knight, a mage, and a cleric made for a well-balanced party.

Considering that the cleric's healing efficiency was lower than using consumables in the early stages, the other two must be quite skilled.

After all, it was impressive that just three of them could hunt in a high-level area like the Orc Camp.

"I'm Rokan."

Rokan also introduced himself briefly but didn't reveal his job. He didn't want to deal with the attention and worry that would come with revealing he was a Berserker, and he didn't feel the need to reveal himself.

Even if they were skilled, the fact that they were still in the 30s meant they had a high chance of not reaching the top tier. Especially since he hadn't heard of them, they would likely remain mediocre.

Rokan wasn't sociable enough to build friendships with people he would only briefly encounter.

"Let's go. The Orc Camp is this way."

Pale, perhaps reading the emotion in his response, immediately started moving.

The Orc Camp was a 30-minute walk away. They had to leave the main road, so they encountered some mobs, but thanks to Pale and his party, they reached the vicinity of the Orc Camp without any problems.

As they got closer to the Orc Camp, Pale skillfully led the way, explaining the situation.

"Be careful from here. Orc scouts patrol, and if you're not careful, they'll blow their horns to call for backup. That can be a headache."

The scouts followed a set patrol route, so if you lived in the Orc Camp, you could roughly figure out their pattern.

As they got closer to the fence of the Orc Camp, Pale explained how to enter more carefully.

"You might not know, but there are two ways to enter the Orc Camp. One is to break through the front, but that's crazy. The second is to use an animal carcass to distract them and slip through a hole. Even then, you might end up in a fight, but with a small group, we can handle it. We have an animal carcass ready, so let's go in."

Rokan already knew this. In his previous life, he had even tried the crazy front entrance.

However, he quietly followed and observed what they did.

Thud.

They threw the animal carcass in a visible spot, and an immediate reaction came from inside.

"Sniff, sniff, food."

The orcs left their posts and came out to collect the carcass.

In the meantime, they slipped through a hole they had previously checked.

"Sniff! It's a human!"

Clang!

Pale was immediately discovered upon entering. However, he blocked the orc's attack with his longsword and counterattacked with ease.

"Power Attack!"

The knight class skill Power Attack. It was weaker than Strike but allowed more freedom of movement before and after use, making it a good attack to mix in during combos.

'Not bad.'

While the proper use of this skill wasn't widely known yet, Pale used it well.

Elphi followed up with a spell, and they easily dispatched one orc.

"This way."

However, they didn't linger in victory. Other orcs would soon appear.

Hunting in the Orc Camp was 70% about securing a position. Identifying and securing a location where a suitable number of orcs would appear was crucial.

Rokan followed them to a new position.

Strictly speaking, the contract was already over once they had successfully entered the Orc Camp, but he knew they were being generous.

Additionally, he needed to familiarize himself with the terrain since it had been a long time since he had been to the Orc Camp.

'My memory is coming back.'

As he moved around, he gradually remembered. The Orc Camp was a place he had visited countless times.

"According to your request, we've entered the interior, but... sightseeing won't be easy. There aren't as many teams here as you might think, and you'll run into orcs if you move a bit."

"That's fine. I'll take care of it."

Rokan let the concerned Pale and his party go first.

Pale looked uncomfortable, as if he couldn't stop someone going to their death, but since it was what Rokan wanted, there was nothing they could do.

'That way, then.'

After confirming that they were completely gone, Rokan started moving, following his memory. He hid in a corner to avoid orcs and reached his destination.

The Warrior's Rest.

A place where powerful orc warriors stayed, a higher-level hunting ground than where Pale and his party were.

"Who is the one who knows honor! If there is a true warrior, come and challenge me!"

Upon reaching the spot, Rokan let out a loud shout, drawing a deep breath from deep within.