Chapter 25: Awakening (3)

TL: Hanguk

The information of the longsword named Zerka's Sword was as follows:

[Zerka's Sword / Hand-and-a-half Longsword / Grade: Special]

- An alloy sword that contains a large amount of mithril and was used by the Elder Monster Zerka.

- Increases the power of sword qi and other weapon skills increase by 50%.

- Strength +2, Agility +2

- Inherent Skill: Mighty Slash

This sword was unlike any other weapons I'd been using until now.

It was extraordinary that the stats increased by 4 points at once, and that the power of sword qi and other weapon skills increased by 50%, but...

"Mighty Slash."

- Whoosh! Kwaang!

It boasted a powerful battle skill, warranting its classification as a 'Special' grade weapon.

I had acquired a few items with inherent skills before.

However, the inherent skills of those items were always restricted, such as 'usable 2-3 times a day.'

But the inherent skill of Zerka's Sword, Mighty Slash, had no limit as it manifested by consuming my mana for activation.

In other words, it was as if I had learned a new skill called Mighty Slash.

"Wow..."

The power of the Mighty Slash was tremendous.

In terms of sheer destructive power, it far surpassed regular sword qi attacks.

I swung it experimentally at a nearby tree stump, and instead of cutting the stump, it obliterated it with tremendous force.

"This is truly a one-hit kill."

Any mediocre sword attempting to block this attack would be cleaved in two without a doubt.

Even if the sword does not break, if the strength is not enough, the shoulder or arm will break.

Although consuming 3 mana per strike was a drawback, there was no dissatisfaction since the output more than compensated for the mana spent.

"It seems to have good compatibility with sword qi."

This was a skill and a sword that would add wings to my future battles.

'The blade is a bit longer, and it's a little heavier than the sword I used before, but it's an acceptable trade-off.'

I tossed the premium-grade Tieri’s sword I was wearing into my inventory and immediately fastened the newly acquired Zerka's Sword to my waist.

And I continued to inspect the rewards.

‘My inventory has expanded by 3 slots, making it 17 slots now.'

The more inventory space, the better.

Even if the fighting power is lacking, there are countless ways to overcome the disadvantages if the inventory is well utilized.

For reference, in the inventory, I can only put things that I can carry myself, but it's interesting that the range of use of the inventory expands as my strength increases.

‘The next reward is the Advanced Healing Potions? It’s my first time receiving these.'

I received three Advanced Healing Potions as a reward for defeating Zerka.

An Advanced Healing Potion can instantly heal even torn body parts in an instant.

In my case, I already own a Ring of Recovery that allows me to heal at the advance level once a day, but there is nothing wrong with having more safety measures, so I happily stored the potions.

‘The last reward is the Orc Taming Necklace.’

I picked up the item that reminded me of the dog collar from its name.

[Orc Taming Necklace / Special]

- Can tame Orc-type monsters below level 30.

- Once tamed, the effect remains even if the orc exceeds level 30.

- If the tamed orc dies, you can recover the item and reuse it on another orc.

I wasn't expecting much but I was puzzled by the item description. An item usable on 'orc-type monsters below level 30'?

Having only encountered orcs around level 7, I found it hard to understand.

‘And why is an item for taming orcs classified as special grade? The same grade as Zerka's Sword?’

The fact that an item to tame orcs was of the same grade as Zerka's Sword made me tilt my head again.

‘Could it be that higher-tiered versions of existing monsters will appear later?’

It seemed like a plausible possibility.

Just as flying monsters, underwater monsters, and elder monsters were updated in sequence, there is no reason why orcs like orc archers, orc warriors, and orc chiefs cannot come out again.

'Or perhaps, there are already special Orcs in existence that I'm not aware of, maybe in the form of dungeons.'

If it's a dungeon, named monsters and boss monsters will appear, so this was also a reasonable conjecture.

The conclusion from this is...

“Anyway, for now, it can only be used on ordinary orcs.”

At least, it's a relief that this item can be reused.

I can tame any orc and use it, and if I find a stronger and more superior orc later, I can use it again.

I shoved the taming necklace into my inventory.

Since there were many orcs in Wolgwang Island as well, there was no need to use it in Gauido.

"Huh?"

But,

That's when another possibility flashed through my mind.

“Could there be an elder monster in the form of an orc?”

If I could successfully tame an Elder Monster shaped like an Orc.

I would have an army of monsters at my disposal.

Of course, there's no guarantee that the my prediction will be correct, and even if I find an orc-shaped elder monster, there's no guarantee that I can tame it.

But it was definitely an item that made me optimistic.

Upon considering various possibilities, I finally understood why the item grade was special.

"I have another reason to go to the mainland."

When I eventually move to the mainland, I must look for an orc-shaped elder monster.

"Alright, alright."

With this, I've checked all the rewards for the subjugation of Elder Monster Zerka.

But I must not forget that there are still remaining rewards.

[Elder Monster Subjugation Reward]

-Premium Grade equipment selection ticket

[Elder Monster First Subjugation Reward]

-Advance Grade Skill Book Lottery Ticket

The total number of premium-grade equipment selection options that I've put aside without using has become three.

It wasn't that I was saving them deliberately.

I was just planning to reorganize my items in the near future, so I postponed my selection.

I planned to make equipment in the workshop with the material items I've collected and choose items that can synergize with the crafted items.

'I'll use what I received this time later.'

So I decided to use only the Advanced Grade skill drawing ticket.

'Come on, combat skill!'

-Pop!

As I used the drawing ticket, a drawing effect specific to old K-mobile games occurred.

And the skillbook I drew was this.

[Stepping Stone / Advanced Skillbook / Active]

-You can create a transparent stepping stone in the air to step on or temporarily float in the air.

-Duration of stepping stone: 5 seconds

"Uh uh..."

It seemed good.

But I wasn't sure how to react since it wasn't the type of skill I was hoping for.

It's undoubtedly practical, and depending on how it's used, it seems like it could be very helpful in battle.

It was a feeling of being neither too disappointed nor too ecstatic, just somewhere in between.

"Looks like I've been too used to getting only good things. If I find this disappointing..."

Chastising myself, I learned the Stepping Stone skill.

"All done."

With this, the reward time is completely over.

Though I was startled by the unexpected rapid development, the elder monster ultimately brought me great benefit.

"Let's go, Woof-woof. You've worked hard too."

-Woof!

Now that my business is done, I need to check the damage situation in Gauido.

"When I looked earlier, even the greenhouses built with my coins were burning. Maybe just replacing the vinyl will be enough?"

I walked towards the village with h Woof-woof.

*

When I arrived in the village, all the villagers were gathered in the safe zone.

Despite my best efforts to save people, there were quite a few injured.

Staying in the safe zone will gradually heal the injuries, so this was a good measure.

"If we had run to the safe zone from the beginning, the damage would have been less."

"Where was the time for that? It came out of nowhere."

I joined Kim Yong-geun, the village head, to check on the injured.

Most had minor external injuries, but some had been severely injured by stone axes, with crushed bodies or open wounds exposing their innards.

I used the Advanced healing skill embedded in the Ring of Healing for the villager who was on the verge of death, and I also used two intermediate healing potions for the moderately injured.

The injuries that could be treated with basic-grade potions would be healed anyway if they stayed in the safe zone, so I did not waste more than necessary.

"I'm sorry. I only receive help from you."

Emotionally, I couldn't let people I face die when I have the ability to help. Logically, each of them is a valuable workforce that can't be carelessly lost.

The inherent skill of my ring resets every day, and I have plenty of intermediate healing potions, so there was no need to worry about using them.

We're just helping each other."

But using potions doesn't mean I can save everyone.

"Are the deceased people living alone? There doesn't seem to be any family members around?"

"Mr. Sung, who ran a pension business alone, and the old lady, Mrs. Park, was living with her grandson."

"Her grandson?"

"That boy over there."

In this incident, two of the 28 residents of Gauido Island died.

One of the dead was a single pension business owner, and the other was a grandmother who lived alone with her 10-year-old grandson.

'Now that I think about it, there was one child on the island.'

I looked at the boy surrounded by the village women.

The boy who had suddenly become an orphan due to the attack of the elder monster.

His appearance strangely caught my eye.

"Just in case, You don't have to feel responsible at all. Thanks to you, 26 people survived, and those two were just unlucky. The village will take care of and raise the boy, so don't worry about it."

He was right.

But it was hard to ignore once I saw it.

So, I stared at the boy with wide eyes and drew the dagger that was in my possession.

It's a normal-grade dagger I won at the gambling hall in the safe zone of Gauido a while ago.

Its characteristic is that it has a fairly long blade for a dagger.

"What are you doing?"

And I pulled out a camping knife, covered it with sword qi, and quickly scraped it with the blade of the previously drawn dagger.

-Scrape. Scrape.

Soon, the dagger was as blunt as a practice sword, safe to hold in one's hand.

It was so dull that it wouldn't cut even if I clenched it in my hand.

I approached the boy with the dulled dagger.

"Hm?"

As I approached, the villagers moved aside, allowing me to stand in front of the child without interference.

"Take this."

And I handed the dulled dagger to the child.

Holding it, the dagger seemed more like a short sword to him.

The boy, holding the dagger, finally welled up with tears.

I roughly patted his head and stepped back.

"Even though he's lost his grandmother today, to the child, you will appear as a hero."

Kim Yong-geun said this while watching me, smiling bitterly.

"Why?"

"Don't you remember? You were the one who cut off the heads of the Orcs surrounding the boy."

At that time, I was busy killing Orcs wherever they appeared, so I wasn't aware of whom I had saved.

If this old man says so, it must be so.

Afterwards, we buried the deceased near the safe zone and held a brief funeral.

"Rest in peace. Don't worry about the boy."

Some were stoic, others teary-eyed.

Watching various people's emotions, Kim Yong-geun suddenly asked me.

"Every day must be like this on the mainland, right?"

"······."

This incident on Gauido was exceptional.

But such incidents must be frequent on the mainland.

Even while paying tribute to the dead, I thought that the people of Gauido were relatively fortunate.

*

A day had passed since the elder monster incident.

My schedule didn't change just because there was a death on Gauido.

"Push harder!"

-Squeak!

My current level is 32.

My level increased yesterday after hunting the Elder Monster, and I gained another level in the Mongma’s Dungeon, bringing me to level 32.

Now, with the day changing and the sun high in the sky, I embarked on another exploration of the northern part of Wolgwang Island.

The only difference from yesterday was that I was riding a fairly sturdy raft made of wooden planks and Styrofoam, and an orc was pushing it hard from behind.

Thanks to this, I could traverse the swampy area without getting any mud on my feet.

-Kiek!

Then.

Just like yesterday, lizardmen appeared.

Three lizardmen, exuding sharp ferocity, charged towards me.

"Woof-woof, take one!"

-Woof!

Like yesterday, Woof-woof bit one and hung on, while the other two Lizardmen rushed at me.

"You lizard bastards, today will be different from yesterday."

From the swaying raft, I took a fighting stance.

The orc pushing the raft seemed frightened by the lizardmen's ferocity, causing the already shaky raft to rock even more.

It seemed impossible to fight properly under these conditions, but...

I didn't care.

'Stepping Stone.'

Using the Stepping Stone skill, a transparent yet sturdy platform, about 2 meters wide and long, appeared beneath my feet.

-Slash! Cut!

-Kik! Kuig!

Thanks to this, I was able to cut down two lizardmen as if I was fighting on solid ground.

After taking care of the lizardman that Woof-woof had brought, the 5-second duration of the Stepping Stone ended, and I stood back on the swaying raft.

"Awesome."

I won the battle without ever stepping foot in the swamp.

Isn't that neat?

"Let's go, Fatty!"

And so, I continued to explore the northern region of Wolgwang Island, riding on the raft pushed by the newly tamed orc.