17 – Skill Selection
“Damn.”
I cursed as soon as I woke up.
I can’t survive without swearing, really.
Even in my blurry vision, I could see a pool of bright red blood.
Naturally, I must be covered in blood as I had been sleeping on top of it.
The blood that had soaked into my clothes and hardened itself added to the discomfort. I’ll have to wash this… But what’s even more messed up is that all my plans have gone awry. I grumbled to myself.
“No, damn it, why did that explosion happen there…”
Even thinking about it now, it’s unbelievable.
Even with difficulty, there should be some limits.
If you significantly raised your stats, you should at least not mess with the strategy. Isn’t that the bare minimum of decency?
The Demon Lord and the system have truly screwed me over.
With this one mistake, I lost a lot.
I lost all confidence in our future strategy and extinguished the faith that had remained as small as a rat’s tail among the party members.
In short, it was all screwed up.
“Sigh…”
A situation that made me involuntarily sigh.
The stress naturally wrinkled my face.
But that was only for a moment; I decided to just accept reality.
“Well, what can you do.”
Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
I will just carry the countless burdens and move forward. The path given to me was nothing else.
“Well, first I should wash up.”
With that in mind, I collected myself for a while and stood up from the pool of blood.
Then, a sound from my body.
Crack-
“Ugh…”
Perhaps it was because my body had become numb from the long time without movement, but my whole body screamed in agony.
Every muscle twitched, and my joints ached.
It felt like I had turned into an old man… But thanks to [Pain Resistance], it was bearable for now.
This is why I need to level up my skills.
They are helpful in everyday life too.
As I searched for peace of mind like that, one thought crossed my mind.
“Come to think of it, I need to listen to what those kids have to say.”
Our plan failed, so it’s only natural for them to have complaints.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
Will my physical body break first, or will my mind crumble first?
I bet on the latter.
Their nagging is not easy to handle.
“Did you… wake up?”
“Hmm?”
While thinking in that manner, a voice came from the side.
I turned my head and saw Yuris kneeling and sitting.
“Um, Miss Saint?”
I couldn’t help but feel startled.
Wasn’t she supposed to rest? Why is she still here?
I asked her, filled with curiosity.
“Is it alright if you don’t rest?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve rested enough while the hero was sleeping.”
Well then… there’s nothing more to say.
I thought for a moment about why she came here.
There wouldn’t be anything left to leave behind here, so did she come to reminisce?
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It’s a plausible guess. At that time, it would have been for the sake of rest, so I provided a shield. But now that I’ve woken up after a good sleep, there’s no reason for that anymore.
How did things come to this point? She will definitely bring it up.
There is only one way to handle this situation.
‘First come, first served.’
I quickly hit my head.
I’ve heard that you shouldn’t be rude to someone who is apologizing. Following the teachings of wise ancestors, I acted on it.
“I’m really sorry. I never expected such violence to break out there… I should have planned more carefully. It’s all my fault…”
“Oh, no, no! It’s okay, I didn’t come here to address that.”
She waved her hand and accepted my apology.
There was a slightly melancholic expression on her face.
Did I apologize so pitifully…
Well, it’s fine. At least I can avoid getting scolded.
As I was feeling relieved, she opened her mouth.
“The reason I came here is… just to check if the hero is doing well. Even if it’s tiring to sleep on a pool of blood… isn’t it something you should do?”
“What? Ahahahaha, well…”
I couldn’t help but be momentarily taken aback by her unexpectedly gentle words.
But that was only for a moment, as she did something even more surprising.
“Oh, look at the blood on your body. Wait a moment. I’ll clean it up for you.”
Saying that, she extended her hands towards me.
Soon, a warm light as bright as the sun started emanating from her delicate palms. The blood on my skin and clothes began evaporating as if being consumed by it.
And thus, all that remained was my clean body and clothes.
The sensation of being pleasantly refreshed envelops my entire body.
It was one of the purification methods, called “Jung Hwa,” that a saint could use.
A universally potent, priest-exclusive skill capable of eradicating anything from dust to extreme poisons, depending on the extent of the saint’s divine power.
Right now, the saint had used it on me.
Of course, since she only wiped away the blood, it’s not as if she used a lot of her power, but… I was still amazed that she used it.
‘What’s this?’
What is it, really?
She never helped me even if I begged her for treatment in the past.
Questions were gradually surfacing in my mind.
Whether or not, the saint patted my shoulder and said,
Tap, tap.
“Alright, it’s done. You’re clean now. You don’t need to wash up anymore, so go rest, hero.”
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry about your companions. I’ll do my best to convince them. Just because the plan failed once. Don’t lose heart. Fighting.”
“Uh, yes… Thank you.”
The saint said that and gracefully entered the tent.
“Oh…”
I felt a shiver down my spine.
No, seriously, what’s been on her mind lately to be so kind?
If I knew her intentions, it would be different. I can’t even catch a hint… It made me feel even more uncomfortable receiving such kindness.
I checked to see if she had done anything to my body.
Although I had become clean, I didn’t know if she had subtly tricked me in some way.
I lightly circulated magic through my veins and swung my arms and legs a couple of times. It seemed like there were no noticeable changes in my body.
She hadn’t done anything flashy.
I scratched my chin and pondered.
“It’s definitely not a favor.”
Due to my curse’s nature, it was definitely not a favor.
So, what could be her intention… I thought about it for a moment, but I couldn’t find an answer.
I decided to focus on other things.
“Now that I don’t need to wash up anymore.”
There’s a lot to do.
With plans becoming more complicated, I needed to refine my strategy and convince my teammates to follow it.
Moreover, since we’re almost at King Chung’s castle, we need to level up to catch that Balkan brat.
Defeating the mid-boss, Minotaur, signifies the beginning of a full-fledged Four Kings’ assault.
In many ways, it’s quite hectic.
While thinking about all this, one thing suddenly came to mind.
“Oh, come to think of it, did I get quest rewards?”
The quest I received before defeating the mid-boss.
It was said that defeating the Minotaur would allow me to choose one skill.
I don’t know what skill list they’ll show, but I have some expectations.
Currently, I don’t have many skills, so even something trivial like this would be a big help.
So, I started receiving the reward.
I opened the system window and clicked on the ‘Reward Obtained!’ window that was floating in the corner. As a result, a list of selectable skills appeared before my eyes.
And all I could do was curse.
“This is insane…”
The list of rewards was much better than I had expected.
+
[Congratulations!]
You have defeated the Minotaur, overcoming adversity. Now, please select your reward!
1. Insect Mastery (蟲術)
2. Puppetry (傀儡)
3. Eternal Life (永劫)
4. Regeneration (再生)
5. Iron Dominance (鐵領)
*Note: These products are all Replicas!
*Even if they are replicas, they might still be helpful on your journey, don’t you think?
+
My mouth remained wide open.
Even if they were replicas, it didn’t matter. In fact, I was beginning to understand why they were replicas.
The very idea of having those skills in their original form was absurd.
I have seen these skills hundreds of times by playing this game over and over again.
Yet, I have never had the chance to obtain any of these skills.
“This, this is…”
I mumbled in a trembling voice.
“These are the abilities of the Four Kings…”
The system is granting me madness.
*
In the game I have possessed, “The Demon Lord and the Hero Party,” each of the Four Kings possesses their own unique abilities.
These abilities turn them into monsters that threaten humanity, rather than just strong beings. They are identities of their own, and tools of torture for the party members.
The game company simply called them skills, but I called them abilities. Well, these skills were enough to be called abilities, considering the amount of fraud involved.
So, I put in a considerable amount of effort to obtain them…
“I can’t believe I’ll be able to obtain them here.”
I gazed at the system window with a satisfying look in my eyes after a long time.
“Kid, I trusted you.”
That’s right.
If the difficulty has increased to this extent, there should be corresponding rewards.
I believed that “The Demon Lord and the Hero Party” wasn’t just a trash game.
Of course, I can’t deny that it’s a trash game, but at the very least, it doesn’t ask for the impossible.
After praising the system in such a way, I fell into contemplation again.
Now then.
I realized that I have been presented with good skill choices.
Now is the time to decide which one to choose.
“What should I choose, after all?”
No matter what I choose, it will be more than enough.
But, I shouldn’t just think about it on such a superficial level.
Skills this good can even influence the direction of character growth, you see.
In other words, this is the first step in determining the direction of growth.
What skills to choose as a base, which skills will have synergy with them, and which skills will help me defeat the Four Kings…
I pondered and pondered.
Slowly, I approached it methodically through process of elimination.
‘First, Chunghang and Gweroi are a pass.’
I cannot deny that it is a good skill, but it is too difficult to use. Additionally, relying solely on quantity in a fight will eventually reach its limit.
‘Similarly, Yeongeok is also a pass…’
Honestly, if we judge based on performance alone, this may be the best option.
However, it is also difficult and vague to use.
To use this, skill level as high as ‘that guy’ is necessary… It will require considerable practice.
Especially, if we think that we must defeat King Balkan in the near future, it is almost useless.
‘Ultimately, what remains is regeneration and iron control.’
I pondered.
Let’s see… Which one suits me best?
One that synergizes well with me, is necessary for future strategies, and can be used effectively regardless of the chosen occupation…
‘What is it?’
When I thought about it, the answer came surprisingly quickly.
‘Anyway, the choice has already been made, right?’
I guess I was momentarily confused by the overly dazzling options.
Knowing that the simplest option is the most efficient.
Regeneration.
A skill with a name that anyone can understand its efficacy.
A simple ability that greatly enhances the user’s healing power.
However, considering the upcoming battle with King Balkan and versatility, there is no other choice.
So without hesitation, I chose option 4.
And then, the system window rang.
+
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained the replica version of Regeneration!]
+
Shuuu-
The effect quickly became apparent. The muscle pain that made my whole body ache disappeared, and the joint pain that was bothering me vanished.
Even the scratches on the floor, caused by my body, were disappearing in the blink of an eye.
“Phew…”
I let out a light sigh as I felt a new power entering my body.
Alright.
Now I can fight more comfortably.
I started heading towards the tent with a satisfied expression.
Wait, before that…
“Just in case, let’s wash up first.”
Although the Saint purified me, you never know.
