Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: 2. Job
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Self-Advancing Step seemed to work against magic as well. Now, a familiar image began to surface in his mind. It was a motion like tripping forward, shifting his weight to the left and spinning a full circle. If he moved exactly as the image dictated, he could dodge the Fire Arrow with that spin, then harness the centrifugal force to swing his sword and take down the orc right away.
It was a high-difficulty maneuver requiring the precarious balance of an acrobat. Sung-hoon didn't yet have the physical prowess or experience to pull it off perfectly. He tried to follow the image, but there were still many shortcomings compared to the ideal motion. The key was supposed to be a fluid spin like flowing water, but he couldn't quite manage it. As he rushed forward and twisted his body abruptly, he nearly lost his balance and fell.
Boom!
In that instant, the Fire Arrow the elder had fired struck his left shoulder. Even though it hit his coat, the shock radiating from his shoulder nearly made him curse aloud.
It throbbed like he'd been punched full-force by an adult man. This wasn't something to underestimate just because it was a low-grade spell. But unfortunately for the orc chieftain, Sung-hoon had a skill he'd picked up in the Starting Room ahead of time.
He hadn't learned this skill anticipating the current situation. But it was proving invaluable right now. The Fire Arrow's power, reduced by 12%. And what should have kept burning on his shoulder, dealing continuous damage, instead flickered briefly thanks to the magic resistance before scattering into harmless sparks in the air.
His misfortune didn't end there. In a situation where he should've lost balance and fallen due to lack of strength, the Fire Arrow exploding on his left shoulder acted like a push, forcing him into that full spin. He hadn't dodged the Fire Arrow, but he'd executed a motion remarkably close to what Self-Advancing Step envisioned. Gritting his teeth, Sung-hoon pressed on.
They were now at point-blank range, where both attacks would land perfectly. As Sung-hoon swung his sword, he caught sight of the wand in the orc's hand glowing once more.
"Shock!"
"Kik?!"
It barely packed the punch of a strong static shock, but that was enough to disrupt the orc's spellcasting. Seizing the opening, Sung-hoon's sword sliced through the elder's neck.
Crunch!
In a clean cut that perfectly fit the word, the orc's head separated from its body. As it toppled toward him, he snatched the wand in the nick of time. Glancing around, he saw the other orcs screaming and charging, but Sung-hoon's goal was already achieved.
No need to ask.
"Yes!"
Fortunately, he'd snagged the first clear bonus. And seeing his stats grow evenly across the board left him deeply satisfied. He pondered where to invest the bonus stat points but ultimately dumped them all into Agility. A swordsman's key stats were Agility, Magic Power, and Wisdom. Among those, the ones most directly helpful in combat were Agility and Magic Power. He chose Agility because of Self-Advancing Step.
He couldn't even come close to matching the image Self-Advancing Step projected. He could barely mimic it precariously within half a step, but anything more than a full step, and his body wouldn't align with the image. To maximize Self-Advancing Step's potential, he needed to boost his Agility as much as possible first.
And the gains didn't stop there. In his left hand, he gripped the small wand the orc had held. He'd grabbed it on impulse, but it seemed to count as loot he could take.
A mere 1% boost and reduction, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Gently stroking his first piece of loot, the orc elder's wand, Sung-hoon flashed a satisfied smile as he opened the door and stepped out.
Creeeak!
Creak!
At that exact moment, the door to the room next door swung open.
There were plenty of people tackling missions, so someone emerging from the adjacent room wasn't particularly surprising. But the person who stepped out was someone Sung-hoon recognized: the ponytail woman.
'What? Cleared way too fast.'
Sung-hoon stared at her in bewilderment. He wasn't one to talk, having cleared it himself, but her clear speed was insanely quick. Truth be told, he'd half-carried it. He'd used traps to isolate the orcs that normally moved in pairs of two, then wiped out fourteen defenseless ones in the orc village. The fight with the orc elder at the end was impressive in its own right, but even that started with the elder caught in a trap, missing an arm—so yeah, that was half-freebie too.
Yet she'd finished Massacre difficulty at the same blazing pace?
Of course, there was no proof she'd done Massacre mode. It was just Sung-hoon's guess. Maybe she'd only done Hunter difficulty. Curiosity burned, but he lacked the confidence to approach her out of the blue and say, "Hey, did you do Massacre? Wow, I cleared it even faster." He dawdled as he headed downstairs.
"Should be fewer people by now."
He entered the now-quiet smithy and sold the weapons looted from the orcs, netting 2,000 Guild for free. He debated selling the wand but decided to hold onto it until players' levels rose, stashing it in his inventory. Having raked in 20,000 Guild from one mission, Sung-hoon smiled faintly and headed back to the Mission Office.
It was still a bit early for lunch, so he figured he'd squeeze in one more mission. What a stellar start. Riding this momentum, today would be another satisfying day.
"Sara, Ratman Removal please."
"Got it. Good luck!"
Sung-hoon waved lightly at the beaming Sara as he vanished. Watching from behind was one woman. The moment he disappeared, she approached Sara without hesitation.
"Ratman Removal for me too."
"Understood!"
A bright light enveloped her, and suddenly she stood in the sewers. Though called sewers, light filtered in from various spots, making visibility no issue. Alone, she showed no fear. She strode forward boldly until a ratman appeared before her.
A giant rat the size of a dwarf. Astonishingly, she drew her twin swords and charged straight at it.
"Kieeeek!"
Slash!
No special skills involved.
Her left sword lightly jabbed to keep the ratman in check, while her right sword swung with full force, inflicting a mortal wound. The ratman struggled valiantly, but it was futile against her blades. Realizing it was outmatched, it screeched and fled with its back exposed.
Krunch!
The fleeing ratman was impaled through the chest by a suddenly flying sword and collapsed. Without hesitation, she retrieved her blade and moved on, scanning her surroundings.
'That man...'
The man who seemed utterly ordinary. Yet contrary to first impressions, he'd left a powerful mark in her mind. She'd faced thirty sick orcs head-on and shattered them all.
Not a 1v30 fight, mind you. Unlike Sung-hoon with his traps and defenseless kills, she'd beaten all thirty in fair combat. Even a skilled special forces operative would struggle with that. But she could do it.
Mid-level Swordsmanship, Flying Sword Technique, Escape Swordsmanship.
These were the skills she'd had since entering The Mission's world. Terrifying stats starting with Mid-level Swordsmanship. To her, orcs were annoying but manageable prey. Others knew it was impossible.
So she couldn't help but be shocked that someone else cleared the orcs faster.
"No way someone else took them down. That wand he had—it was the one that orc held. He must've beaten that orc and cleared Massacre mode."
The magic-using orc and its two guards.
She'd seen the wand clearly with her own eyes. Unbelievable, but he'd taken them out faster than her. He might be her equal... or even stronger.
'No way that guy's stronger than me.'
Shing.
Drawing her twin swords, Mirinae charged at another ratman.
"Who's talking about me? My ear's itching."
Sung-hoon, busy setting up poisoned food and traps, scratched his ear before refocusing on the task.