NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43 - Sword Gargoyle Hunting Patrol
Upon entering the boss room on the 6th floor, the Sword Gargoyle appeared immediately.
“Gandaruban, go.”
“Roger!”
Gandaruban dashed forward, activating the skill Anger Lock.
Anger Lock is a skill that draws hostility, commonly possessed by knight-type jobs.
After confirming Anger Lock, Anneliese’s fire burst forth, significantly reducing the Sword Gargoyle’s HP, but it was still far from defeated.
Rosalina also latched onto the Sword Gargoyle, joining the attack. Additionally, the four soldiers joined in the assault.
“Enchant Ice.”
I applied the Enchant Ice, which adds ice attribute damage, to Rosalina.
“Enchant Fire.”
Furthermore, I applied Enchant Fire to Rosalina as well.
While it would be possible to apply Enchant Ice and Enchant Fire to the four soldiers, these two enchantments are more effective with a higher frequency. Since Rosalina’s Battle Master job has significantly more attacks than a swordsman or a spearman, I decided to focus on her.
“Anger Lock!”
Gandaruban activated Anger Lock again, fixing the hostility.
The Sword Gargoyle’s HP was gradually decreasing.
The soldiers were dealing small amounts of damage. I instructed them to land just one hit and then focus on avoiding attacks. With their current attack power, they wouldn’t contribute much damage, so it was enough to establish their participation in the battle.
“HP Recovery!”
Gandaruban, who was taking the brunt of the Sword Gargoyle’s attacks, was losing HP, but he used the skill HP Recovery to restore it.
Rosalina also possessed the skill HP Recovery, but there was a difference in effectiveness between the Battle Master and the Armored Knight. Even with the same skill name, the effects varied depending on the job. Naturally, the Armored Knight’s HP Recovery had a higher efficacy.
“I’ll shoot! … Fire.”
Anneliese’s magic burned the Sword Gargoyle, reducing its HP to less than 30%.
“It fully recovered its HP!”
“With this level of attack, I can make it last for a whole day! Anger Lock!”
Despite receiving the Sword Gargoyle’s attacks, Gandaruban seemed to have enough leeway to talk.
The soldiers, with Gandaruban drawing the Sword Gargoyle’s attacks, continued to deal damage safely.
I hadn’t expected Gandaruban’s hostility control to be this stable. It’s probably because he’s dealing a fair amount of damage even with a sword. Truly fitting for someone with the title of “Strong Arm.”
In the end, Anneliese’s magic became the finishing blow, and the Sword Gargoyle vanished.
“That was a complete victory. Well done.”
“…”
Gandaruban stared at me with a somewhat dissatisfied expression after I praised him. What’s with that?
“Does the master have not only the Swordmaster and Explorer jobs but also magic-related jobs?”
Rosalina asked, probably because I was enchanting her with Enchant Ice and Enchant Fire. I have no intention of hiding it since we entered the dungeon together.
“Hehehe. I have the Enchanter job.”
“Enchanter? I’ve never heard of that job name before.”
It’s a rare job that appears only with a 1 in 10,000 chance, so it’s understandable that she doesn’t know.
“The Enchanter is a magic user who specializes in using support magic and can’t attack directly. However, I can enhance damage by applying additional effects like fire and ice attributes to jobs with high attack frequency, like Rosalina.”
“Thanks to that Enchanter, the master had a relaxed expression, right?”
Gandaruban seemed to oddly understand.
“Even without an Enchanter, Anneliese’s magic is available, so it’s not a problem.”
“That’s true.”
When the conversation ended, Gandaruban called the soldiers.
“How’s your level?”
“It went up to 12!”
Inu Beastman Soldier Bath reached Swordsman Level 12.
“I also leveled up to 13.”
Lizardman Soldier Jojoku is now Swordsman Level 13.
“It went up!”
Cat Beastman Soldier Rin is now Spearman Level 12.
“I also leveled up.”
Fox Beastman Soldier Solidia is now Spearman Level 11.
All the soldiers leveled up. Given that it was a battle against the level 10 Sword Gargoyle, it would be strange if they didn’t.
By the way, Anneliese, Rosalina, and Gandaruban’s levels didn’t increase, but mine did. Now I’m Enchanter Level 19.
“Hey, sorry to interrupt your moment of awe, but today we’re going to hunt the Sword Gargoyle at least five times.”
“Eh!?”
Gandaruban and the soldiers were surprised, but as expected, Anneliese and Rosalina weren’t fazed.
“We’ll level up by hunting bosses. Even if your levels increase, I’ll keep doing this until I level up. So get ready for as many days as it takes.”
And so, we continued hunting Sword Gargoyles.
After hunting them six times, my Enchanter reached Level 21. I learned new magic at Levels 15 and 20, and they were spells I could use happily.
Anneliese became a Level 23 Mage, Rosalina a Level 22 Battle Master, and Gandaruban a Level 23 Armored Knight.
The four soldiers also grew, reaching Levels 17 to 18. They were showing considerable improvement.
– Normal Drops: Gargoyle Sword x5, 80,000 Gril each
Today, we obtained one rare drop, the Gargoyle Buster. Since it’s a two-handed sword, Gandaruban can’t use it. Therefore, I decided to give it to Jojoku, the swordsman with the highest level, and sell the normal drop Gargoyle Swords.
They sold for 80,000 Gril (800,000 yen) each in just half a day, making for good profits.
I spent quite a bit on equipping Gandaruban and the soldiers and also had my noble clothes tailored. Money was flowing out rapidly, and getting funds is crucial.
Despite that, I was abducted by that guy Balkan every day, getting pushed around. It’s painful for both my body and my wallet.
On the 51st day of reincarnation, we went out to hunt Sword Gargoyles again.
This time, I decided to use the Hero with a two-handed sword instead of the Enchanter.
Since Rosalina’s level had increased, and she could now deal damage on her own, it was a good time for me to raise the level of the two-handed sword Hero.
“But, you know, Rosalina learned a unique skill, right?”
“Rosalina-san underwent racial evolution. During racial evolution, it’s extremely rare, but there’s a mention in some literature that, on occasion, one may acquire a unique skill. However, sir, you haven’t undergone racial evolution, have you? Are you saying you evolved from Human to High Human?”
Anneliese exclaimed with tremendous force.
When I checked the status, lo and behold! The race had become High Human (shivers).
“Please make sure not to let anyone else know about the double job and High Human, okay!”
Anneliese was screaming with a fervor that seemed on the verge of madness. I vividly remember her face at that moment. You know, beautiful people always look beautiful no matter what expression they have.
– Double Job: Allows setting two jobs. The ability values of the main job are 100%, while those of the sub job are 50%. Skills from both jobs can be used.
There was no indication of proficiency for the Double Job (Micro). It’s probably safe to assume there’s no proficiency.
But the content was quite surprising. I felt that this was undoubtedly a trump card unique skill.
Also, the levels of everyone who accompanied me in leveling up my various jobs had reached 28. It seems that, with Sword Gargoyles, you don’t level up beyond 28, as everyone else except me had reached level 28.
– Normal drop items: Gargoyle Swords 132 pieces, 2,112,000 grills
– Rare drop items: Gargoyle Busters 20 pieces, 1,600,000 grills
– Total: 3,712,000 grills
22 Gargoyle Busters dropped. Since Jojoku, the swordsman, is already using one, I gave another to Bartz, the other swordsman. I stored one as a spare for myself. The remaining 20 were converted into cash.
With this, the two swordsmen in our party, plus myself, were equipped with Gargoyle Buster.
By the way, even if you attack Sword Gargoyles with Gargoyle Busters, they don’t petrify. I think it’s because they were originally stone statues, but no matter how much you attack them, they don’t petrify.
Also, between Gargoyle Busters and Mithril Two-Handed Swords, the Mithril Two-Handed Sword has better performance.
My main weapon is still the Mithril Two-Handed Sword, but I plan to equip Gargoyle Busters outside. Since the Mithril Two-Handed Sword is more valuable, it gives a feeling of wielding a sword that suits my status (?).
[Job] Enchanter Lv21
[Magic] Magic Enhancement (Medium), Enchant Hard (Medium), Enchant Excel (Medium), Enchant Fire (Medium), Enchant Ice (Medium), Enchant Attack (Micro), Enchant Regeneration (Micro)
[Unique Skill] Detailed Appraisal (High), Item Box (High), Double Job
* The following does not include unique skill notation.
– Enchant Attack (Micro): Increases ATK value by 50 points for one person or everyone. MP cost 8×number of people. Duration 3 minutes. Not usable for 5 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 15.
– Enchant Regeneration (Micro): Automatically recovers HP for one person or everyone. HP recovery 30 points per minute. MP cost 7×number of people. Duration 10 minutes. Not usable for 5 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 20.
[Job] Two-Handed Sword Hero Lv25
[Skills] Command (Medium), Whole Body Automatic HP Recovery (Medium), Body Enhancement (Medium), Buster Slash (Medium), Ice Slash (Medium), Acid Strike (Low), Perfect Evasion (Low), Experience Aggregation (Micro)
– Acid Strike (Low): Two-handed sword technique. An attack with ATK value doubled. As an additional effect, there is a 50% chance to decrease the enemy’s DEF and MDEF values by 30%. MP cost 12 when the additional effect is triggered. Duration 3 minutes. Not usable for 2 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 15.
– Perfect Evasion (Low): Completely evade the enemy’s attack. MP cost 15. Duration 40 seconds. Not usable for 10 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 20.
– Experience Aggregation (Micro): Obtain 30% of the experience gained by all under your command. (Passive Skill) Emerges at level 25.
[Job] Assassin Lv25
[Skills] Vital Point Thrust (Medium), Stealth (Medium), Erase Traces (Medium), Godspeed (Medium), Perception (Medium), Wall Penetration (Medium), Disguise (Medium), Trap (Low), Capture (Micro)
– Disguise (Medium): Disguise appearance and status. MP cost 7 per minute. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 13.
– Trap (Low): Set, discover, and disarm traps. (Passive Skill) Emerges at level 19.
– Capture (Micro): Temporarily immobilize the enemy. Duration 10 seconds. MP cost 5. Not usable for 10 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 25.
[Job] Explorer Lv25
[Skills] Dungeon Move (Medium), Treasure Hunting (Medium), Mapping (Medium), Crisis Perception (Medium), Escape (Low), Increase Rare Drop Rate (Micro)
– Crisis Perception (Medium): Sense danger. (Passive Skill) Emerges at level 15.
– Escape (Low): Escape from a location where skill activation is nullified. MP cost 25. Not usable for 1 hour after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 20.
– Increase Rare Drop Rate (Micro): Increase the drop rate of rare items by 10%. (Passive Skill) Emerges at level 25.
[Job] Sword Master Lv25
[Skills] Double Slash (Medium), Insight (Medium), Substantial Fitness (Medium), Sharpness (Medium), Breakthrough (Low), Illusionary Sword (Micro)
– Double Slash (Medium): Sword technique. Perform two consecutive attacks on the enemy regardless of two-handed or one-handed sword. ATK 3.5 times. MP cost 10. Not usable for 3 minutes after activation. (Active Skill)
– Insight (Medium): Predict the enemy’s attack and optimize the holder’s movements. (Passive Skill)
– Substantial Fitness (Medium): Increase one’s own STR, VIT, AGI, DEX by 35 points, and INT and MIN by 25 points each. (Passive Skill)
– Sharpness (Medium): Become more sensitive to detecting presence and danger. (Passive Skill) Emerges at level 8.
– Breakthrough (Low): Once, nullify the enemy’s DEF value to 0 and invalidate skill effects to attack. MP cost 8. Not usable for 3 minutes after activation. (Active Skill) Emerges at level 16.