Level Up Machine 013: Potential for Growth (3)
“Chwiik! Chwiik!”
“Meat! Rabbit meat!”
The orcs let out excited snorts as they swarmed around the rabbit meat. Yeong-sik's group watched them in tense silence, not even daring to breathe.
The rabbit meat's effect is too damn good, Yeong-sik thought, his face twisting as he eyed the dozen or so orcs gathered around it. He'd only meant to lure in three, but it had drawn every orc in the vicinity.
“Sh-shouldn't we run?” Kim Gil-su, standing in front of Yeong-sik, whispered cautiously, glancing back with a strained expression.
The number of orcs had far exceeded their expectations.
Yeong-sik's face hardened at his words.
Too late for that.
The bushes they hid in were too close to the orcs. Fleeing now would just incite the excited beasts to chase them down—and that could aggro every other monster nearby.
I've gotta decide fast.
Yeong-sik's eyes sharpened. The rabbit meat was barely fist-sized—a mere snack for the orcs. Half-sated, they'd scour the area in their hunger. To survive, it was fight or flight—now.
He turned to Seo A-ra and gave the signal: cast your spell.
“Y-you're really going to attack...?” Seo A-ra started to ask, but she nodded at Yeong-sik's resolute expression. He'd saved her life multiple times before, and his judgment had never been wrong.
“Hoo...”
Seo A-ra took a deep breath, aiming her staff at the orcs from the bushes. A blue aura flickered at its tip, gathering into white ice particles.
Ice Boom.
It was her most powerful area-of-effect spell—wide range and devastating power. The long cast time made it risky in open fights, but perfect for ambushes like this.
“Ice Boom.”
She whispered the incantation, activating the magic.
A head-sized chunk of ice formed at the staff's tip. Seo A-ra launched it straight into the orc cluster.
Ice Boom
-Boom!
“Chwiieeeek!”
“Krrruk!”
The ice exploded violently amid the orcs, shattering into finger-joint-sized shards that flew everywhere. Those caught in the blast writhed in agony.
Only one orc died outright, but three others took heavy damage from the shockwave.
Yeong-sik's eyes lit up.
We've got a shot.
Seo A-ra's power was impressive—no wonder it was a hidden class. Her attack inflicted way more damage than expected.
“Gil-su Uncle!” Yeong-sik shouted.
“Got it!”
Kim Gil-su burst from the bushes like a spring, swinging his axe at a staggering orc.
The blade sank perfectly into its neck.
-Squelch!
“Kruk!”
Dark red blood sprayed from the wound. The orcs' attention snapped to him.
Yeong-sik turned to Seo A-ra, who was panting from the big spell. “Keep firing from the back whenever you can. Stick to weak spells—don't draw aggro.”
“Hah... hah. Got it.”
She nodded. Her mana was drained, but she had enough left for Ice Arrow.
“Here goes.”
Yeong-sik kicked off toward the front, roaring orcs lunging at Kim Gil-su. He thrust out his left hand.
-Click.
Gears whirred inside him. His left wrist split open, extending a 30cm Blade.
He crouched low, then sprang, slicing into an orc's armpit.
-Squelch!
“Chwiieeeek!”
The orc thrashed and collapsed.
“Bulk Up!”
Kim Gil-su pulled back his axe, activating his buff. His lean muscles swelled with raw power.
He raised the axe high with both hands and smashed down.
“Smash!”
-Crack!
A blue sheen frosted the blade as it cleaved the orc's sword in half and split its skull.
“Huh...?”
Kim Gil-su stared in disbelief at the bisected head—he'd done it himself, yet it felt unreal.
Another orc charged the momentarily distracted tank, axe raised.
Yeong-sik yelled, face grim. “Dodge!”
“Urk!”
Kim Gil-su whipped around just in time. The handaxe grazed his shoulder.
“Kuh!”
“Ice Arrow!”
He clutched the bleeding wound, grimacing. Seo A-ra's spell nailed the attacker in the head.
The orc clutched its forehead, howling.
-Crack!
“Get it together, Uncle!”
Yeong-sik dashed in, severing the orc's neck for the kill, then scolded Kim Gil-su sternly.
The tank nodded apologetically. “Got it.”
Gripping his axe one-handed, he charged back in. They had to finish before the orcs recovered.
-Slash!
“Krrruk!”
“Chwiik!”
Every swing of Yeong-sik's Blade or Kim Gil-su's axe dropped another orc.
Kim Gil-su pressed with aggressive skill use, while Yeong-sik danced around attacks with precise strikes.
Most astonishing was Yeong-sik's style. Kim Gil-su relied on brute force and skills, but Yeong-sik... The Blade from his wrist demanded assassin-like agility—pinpoint vital strikes. No newbie with zero experience could pull that off. It was the mark of a seasoned warrior, forged in brutal training.
-Slash!
“Kruk!”
“Hoo...”
Yeong-sik beheaded another orc, his sunken eyes cold and fierce as he caught his breath.
From the moment he'd deployed the Blade, a hot surge had tingled at the base of his neck.
Something's off.
He glanced at the fallen orcs. The Blade felt natural—not awkward at all. Like second nature. His mind vividly mapped trajectories: how to wield it, dodge paths for counters, vital spots for lethal hits.
As if he'd fought this way before.
“Chwiik! H-human! Too strong!”
The last orc bolted, yelling desperately.
Yeong-sik extended his right arm. Flames erupted from the elbow joint as it rocketed forward like a bullet.
-Crunch!
“Krrrgh!”
The orc twitched on the ground, impaled through the back. Yeong-sik approached and drove his Blade into its neck.
Squelch.
Its breath stopped.
You have defeated 11 Orcs.
Total 213 EXP and 24 silver distributed according to contribution.
A blue message appeared before Yeong-sik as faint light enveloped and faded from his body. He yanked his right arm free from the orc's back, reattaching it, then checked his status.
Level 2 now.
All his stats had risen across the board.
No bonus stats, huh.
He eyed his status window wistfully. It would've been nice to allocate points himself, but no such luck.
“Kgh...?”
With the fight over, Kim Gil-su winced, clutching his shoulder wound.
Yeong-sik approached and pulled a lowest-grade potion from his inventory—the one he'd stocked before heading out.
A red potion materialized from the floating blue inventory window. It scaled with level, so his Lv. 2 one was small—just enough for potions and bandages.
“Use it, Gil-su Uncle.”
“Ugh... But isn't this 50 silver?”
“Better than wandering around injured.”
Yeong-sik's tone brooked no argument.
Kim Gil-su sighed. “Fine. Just a little, then.”
He poured some on the gash. Red foam bubbled as it knit rapidly. Yeong-sik wrapped it with bandage for good measure, then stowed the half-full potion.
“Everyone level up?”
Yeong-sik asked Kim Gil-su and Seo A-ra.
They nodded.
“Yeah. HP, MP, other stats went up too.”
“Feels like I've got more power now, for sure.”
Seo A-ra and Kim Gil-su marveled at their bodies. Just one level, so no huge change—but they felt stronger.
“Good. Let's regroup and head out again.”
“Gonna hunt more?”
“Yeah. We're stronger than I thought.”
This fight proved orcs were no threat to their party. Turning back now would be a waste.
Kim Gil-su and Seo A-ra nodded, approaching the corpses.
“We collect their weapons, right?” Seo A-ra recalled Yeong-sik's pre-hunt instructions.
He nodded, gathering the scattered arms. One reason only.
“Alright, time to test it.”
Yeong-sik touched the pile of crude iron weapons.
Iron—the foundation of all machine parts.
He placed his hand over them and murmured,
“Extraction.”
Extraction
His Mechanic Engineer class skill activated. Light extended from his hand, seeping into the weapons.