[EP1. Mana Level MAX?]
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[EP1. Mana Level MAX?]
Hiss!
"Hm?"
The moment Jae-jun entered the forest, he encountered a monster.
It was one he knew well even before becoming a hunter.
A green-skinned orc with a pig-like face.
The beast was wandering the woods alone.
'An orc in an F-grade dungeon?'
Orcs had humanoid bodies but were several times stronger than humans. They never backed down from wounds, making them aggressive upper-tier monsters that only appeared in C-grade dungeons or higher.
This one was staggering along, clearly wounded from somewhere.
'Should I run?'
True to its muscle-bound stats in strength and stamina, the orc was slow.
Especially in its injured state, escaping seemed easy enough.
But as he hesitated, the orc spotted him.
Letting out a ferocious roar befitting its reputation, it charged.
KRAAAAAH!
The sheer intimidation felt like a massive tank barreling toward him.
The orc's body was clad in bulging muscles like natural armor.
It swung the enormous axe in its grip through the air, aiming for Jae-jun's head.
Whooooosh—
The wind whistling from the axe alone was terrifying.
If that blade connected, his skull would shatter into pieces.
But Jae-jun dodged it with relative ease.
His agility stat had risen significantly from leveling up.
'I can take it!'
Once they clashed, fighting spirit ignited in Jae-jun's eyes.
The initial tension and wariness melted away, replaced by composure.
'Lucky its wounds are worse than I thought.'
The orc's body was covered in injuries.
It had clearly been exhausted before meeting him, already panting heavily.
KRAAAAAH!
Frustrated that Jae-jun kept slipping past its attacks at the last second, the orc roared again.
Red veins bulged in its eyes.
Jae-jun felt a chill crawl up the back of his neck.
He reflexively leaped backward.
Hiss! Hiss!
The orc exhaled roughly and charged.
This time, its speed was noticeably faster than before.
Its axe swept in horizontally.
Whooosh!
Too late to dodge.
And blocking that monstrous axe with his sword seemed impossible.
'Can my strength stat handle it?'
He'd gained confidence smashing that hop gremlin last time.
But that confidence shattered the instant axe met sword.
Thud.
Bam.
Jae-jun flew back sword-first, slamming into a massive tree trunk behind him.
One hit, and his HP halved.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ HP:130/285
The tree shook, sending birds perched in its branches scattering in fright.
'Urk.'
If his sword weren't A-grade gear, it would've shattered—and taken his body with it, split in two.
'No way! Is the gap really this huge?'
He felt pathetic for thinking he could take on an orc.
Jae-jun swallowed the metallic blood rising in his throat.
The orc staggered toward him, perhaps winded from the effort.
Hiss—
Its eyes gleamed bloodshot, like it was high on drugs.
Jae-jun didn't know it, but the orc had entered berserk mode.
Berserk was a skill only C-grade orc warriors and above could use.
In that state, their strength and stamina doubled.
That was why hunters in C-grade dungeons always took out orcs before they could activate it.
But unaware, Jae-jun despaired.
'I can't even handle one injured orc!'
Try fire?
Flames flickered up in his hand for a moment.
But using fire in a forest thick with trees and grass was suicide.
Besides, an F-grade skill like Fire wouldn't faze this orc.
'Tch.'
The orc's wounds had reopened from its violent movements, blood trickling everywhere.
It was tiring faster now.
Then, a spark lit in Jae-jun's mind.
'The hop gremlin's poison needle!'
His movements were far quicker than the orc's, and he had stamina to spare.
No need to clash head-on.
Jae-jun pulled the hop gremlin's poison needle from his inventory.
The green, awl-like dagger gleamed in his hand.
'Let's see some real blood.'
He grinned viciously at the approaching orc.
KRAAAAAH!
Not liking the smile, the orc roared and renewed its fury.
But this time, Jae-jun didn't meet it head-on.
He relied purely on agility, nicking the orc's body whenever an opening appeared.
Stab.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Inflicted Bleeding on opponent.
Reduces target's wound recovery and stamina for 30 seconds.
Every graze of the dagger triggered the chime.
Old wounds hidden under thick muscle burst open, blood flowing freely.
The orc's movements visibly slowed.
Hiss— Hiss—
Whoooosh!
The orc raised its axe high overhead for a massive swing, but it was already weakened.
Stab.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Inflicted Bleeding on opponent.
Reduces target's wound recovery and stamina for 30 seconds.
As bleeding stacked, the light faded from the orc's eyes.
Eventually, berserk wore off, and it staggered.
Its body was soaked in red blood.
Hiss— Hiss—
The orc glared at Jae-jun with weary eyes.
They almost seemed to beg for a quick end.
But Jae-jun never let his guard down.
'Smarter than it looks.'
Clutching its weapon that tight? Hardly a face of surrender.
Jae-jun edged forward slightly, testing its reaction.
As if the exhaustion was a lie, the orc raised its axe to chest height and charged.
Blood streamed down its body, but its murderous intent toward Jae-jun prickled his skin like static.
'Strong.'
Jae-jun's heart pounded.
Then...
'I'll grow even stronger by killing you!'
His hand swiftly swapped weapons from his inventory.
Gripping the Frost Blade, he thrust forward.
The orc's final attack barreled straight ahead, ready for a full clash.
"Come at me with everything you've got!"
KRAAAAAH!
The orc roared in response to his spirit.
It knew this was the end.
So it swung its axe vertically with all its might.
Determined to cleave the arrogant human in half, weapon and all.
But.
Jae-jun toyed with it to the last.
Grinning wickedly, he twisted sideways, dodging.
As the axe whiffed harmlessly past, his sword stabbed straight in.
Thrust!
All his power focused on one point, driving toward the orc's face.
Its tough hide and sturdy teeth couldn't withstand the concentrated strike.
Squelch!
The blade pierced through its mouth and skull, emerging long from the back of its head.
Blood and brains dripped along the edge.
'...The victor is the strong one.'
A thrilling surge of victory pierced Jae-jun's heart, drawing a grin.
As if to celebrate, cheerful chimes rang out.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Defeated Wanderer Orc Tilk of the Leech-Infested Forest!
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ 47 → 48 ✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ 48 → 49
...
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ 65 → 66 ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Acquired title: One Who Surpasses the Rank.
Effect: Stats increase by 50% against higher-rank foes. (Rank evaluated based on your lowest-rank item.)
★ Achievement Unlocked ★ One Who Surpasses the Rank
Orc Tilk was a C-grade warrior from an orc tribe scattered by a giant leech's attack in the forest.
Though wounded, the world marvels at your courage and strength in overcoming the overwhelming rank gap to slay him.
Whew.
Levels and all that could wait—Jae-jun collapsed onto the spot.
With the fight over, exhaustion hit him like a wave.
One mistake could've meant death, so he'd overconcentrated.
'Status window.'
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Name:Choi Jae-jun 💨 Level:48 👑 Title:One Who Surpasses the Rank ❤️ HP:375 💙 MP:MAX (Unmeasurable) 😴 Fatigue:85
His level shot up a whopping 18, to 48.
Worth risking his life for.
And his first title, too.
Reading the effect, Jae-jun's eyes widened.
'50% stat boost against higher ranks?'
Broken.
If true, fighting one rank higher would be easier than same-rank foes.
And the gap would widen as his stats grew with levels.
'Perfect.'
Even more reason to tackle higher-grade dungeons.
⚔ STATS ⚔ ⚡ Strength (D):132 (51) 💪 Stamina (D):57 💨 Agility (D):57 🏃 Endurance (D):57 ✨ Magic (SSS):999,999,999 📈 Allocable Points:13
His stats were growing daily.
Average 57 without bonuses—surpassing F-grade, matching D-grade hunters.
D-grade in a single day.
But that wasn't all.
A shimmering magical core emerged from the orc's body.
🎁 ITEM ACQUIRED 🎁 Mid-Lower Grade Magical Core C-Grade
A C-grade mid-lower magical core.
Unlike the E-grade one from the hop gremlin's head, its size and luster were on another level.
Jae-jun planned to sell it at the Gamer shop.
Fighting the orc had brutally shown his shortcomings.
If it had been just a bit stronger, he'd be the corpse lying there.
'Time to buy skills and get stronger.'
— Author's Note — Thank you.