Volume 2 - CH 3.01
Chapter 8: Monk
Kaga Michio
Current levels & equipment:
Explorer Lv.12
Hero Lv.7
Warrior Lv.10
Swordsman Lv.8
Equipment:
Durandal
Leather Armor
Leather Jacket
Leather Gloves
To sum it all up, all of my attempts at reciting various chants, prayers and scriptures ended up in failure. Yes, that’s right, I was making a fool out of myself for quite a while, and I still didn’t unlock Monk’s or Priest’s Job as a result, so recovery magic and Skills were still beyond my reach. But I guess I can only blame myself for that. After all, if something as simple and trivial as a prayer was enough to obtain a Job, then it wouldn’t require harsh training to begin with, right?
I always thought that prayers and such have nothing to do with magic, however, in this world, spells and Skills are both considered to be a type of magic. Right now, it looks like obtaining literally any Job that has access to healing spells and abilities might be more of a pain than it is actually worth it, but I shouldn’t allow myself to get discouraged so easily, especially if it’s going to help us in the long run. Also, I refuse to believe that training and pilgrimages are the only way of obtaining a Monk and Priest Jobs. Maybe I should ask Roxanne if there really isn’t…
「Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that there is one more way to obtain the Monk Job, the one that was designed specifically for warriors, and it is to defeat monsters with your bare hands. And I don’t want to brag, but I think I would more than up for this kind of task.」
Roxanne offered me a hint that I was waiting for at just the right time, most likely because she was starting to worry about my mental health. She could have told me about it before I started chanting random prayers like a madman, but I cannot say that to her, because that would be rude of me.
Well, it’s good if she’s confident in her own abilities, but if at all possible, I would also like to give it a shot. But can I really pull something as crazy as that off? And wait a goddamn sec! If Roxanne says she is fine with killing monsters with her bare hands, wouldn’t that make her one hell of a scary lass?!
Then again, if defeating a monster with nothing but your fists wasn’t possible, then it probably wouldn’t be listed as a requirement for getting a Monk Job. It’s the same as with the Swordsman Job or Mage Job: you get the former for defeating monsters with a sword, and the latter for using Attack Magic. Therefore, it would stand to reason that you should also get a Job for defeating enemies without the usage of any kind of weaponry.
But, you know… monks fighting with their bare hands? The only ones who fit that description to a T are the monks from the Shaolin Temple, since your typical Buddhist monks are more associated with sutras, Khakkharas (TL Note: Those staffs with lots of rings on them) and exorcising evil spirits. And even if I fail to get the Monk Job, maybe using hand-to hand combat will unlock some other offensive Job, like, maybe a boxer, brawler, or something along those lines? Either way, looks like it will at least be worth a try.
Still, there are various uncertainties regarding the exact conditions of unlocking the Monk Job by fighting monsters bare-handed. Most likely you have to 「defeat」 them without using any kind of melee weapon, but what does 「defeat」 mean here, exactly? Do I have to do all of the damage with my fists alone, or does it only have to be the finishing blow? And is it going to count if both of us will attack a single enemy?
For now, I guess we have no other choice but to test all of those options out.
「Roxanne, there’s a little something I want to try.」
「Something?」
「Well, I guess you can call it an experiment.」
「An experiment, huh?」
「Yeah. For now, I would like you to put away your sword and try fighting a few enemies with just your fists.」
「Roger!」
However, I am still skeptical about this. Before I came to Veil, I had trouble defeating a friggin (Caerbannog) Bunny with a Copper Sword, and now Roxanne was going to fight something stronger than a Bunny with nothing but her own two hands? I couldn’t help it but to worry, even if there are two of us now and we should have a level advantage over the Needlewoods. Just in case, I will have my weapon ready to strike at all times.
Oh man, if I tried doing it alone, it would certainly end up with my death, so let’s just see how this goes without trying too hard. Let’s try a single blow first.
I placed Durandal back at my hip and then jumped in front of the next Needlewood we encountered and I threw a straight haymaker at it with my right hand.
「Hng!!!」
Because I couldn’t use my sword, I had no choice but to go up close and personal with it, which meant that getting hit myself was inevitable. Thankfully, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it will be, most probably because my levels went up, resulting in me being able to take more punishment now, but the numbing, burning sensation pulsating in the place that was hit by the enemy remained much the same.
Then Roxanne joined me and we attacked the Needlewood together, both from its left and right sides. Faced with a 2v1 scenario, it wasn’t able to respond to our strikes fast enough. While Roxanne kept its attention on herself, I stepped a few steps to the back and brandished Durandal. Noticing me, Needlewood waved its wooden fist at me. I blocked its attack with Durandal’s hilt and then launched a counterattack, cleaving it cleanly in half.
While Roxanne was busy packing the leftover branches into her backpack, I checked the Party Job Settings once again, but much to my annoyance neither I nor Roxanne obtained the Monk Job. So it would seem that simply fighting the enemies with hand-to-hand combat was not enough after all. Maybe we should try defeating them after all?
The thing is, if we were to do that, then I don’t know how long a brawl like that would take. I’d need to get closer to the enemy than when I was using the Copper Sword, so that’s going to literally be a battle where my life will constantly be on the line.
At first, let’s try only hitting it with our fists as a finishing blow. But in order to do that, we cannot use Durandal, since it is just too strong and it will kill the enemy in one hit. Copper Sword is out of the question either because it’s just too weak. Luckily for me, Bonus Weapons Skill has six levels in total, so let’s see what we are going to get when I choose Bonus Weapons 5, one level below Durandal.
It gave a weapon called Fragarach. It does not have MP Absorption, but it possesses HP Drain, Chant Interruption and Attack Power 5x, so it’s not that much of a downgrade, if I am to be honest.
「Looks like you have quite a lot of weapons at your disposal, master. This one looks just as strong as your previous one.」
Roxanne praised me as she examined Fragarach with curious eyes and her hand on her chin.
「Thanks. I’ll try using this one next and we’ll see if it makes any difference, okay?」
「Right!」
Following Roxanne’s guidance, we immediately found our next target. Having her in the Party is so convenient that it is unbelievable. If everything goes well, maybe we could really go to the Labyrinth’s next level soon. Since all the monsters on this first level die in one hit from Durandal’s one blow, then as long as we only go one level up we should still be safe.
However, the scariest part about this world is that even with all the things listed above, I still cannot be absolutely sure that everything will go exactly as I planned. It is a world filled with Labyrinths that are actually sentient creatures, monsters roaming the wilderness and a fuckload of Bandits and other villainous scum wherever you go. A world where you can never know what will happen to you next, and that is why it is imperative to keep getting stronger so that when the time comes that the world is going to hit you with a 「Surprise Motherfucker」 card, you’ll just have to hit it back with a 「No U」 card and live your life in peace.
But that is a talk for the future. For now, we have to press forward without any regrets, hoping that our plan is not going to backfire on us.
Kaga Michio
Current levels & equipment:
Explorer Lv.12
Hero Lv.7
Warrior Lv.10
Swordsman Lv.8
Equipment:
Durandal
Leather Armor
Leather Jacket
Leather Gloves
To sum it all up, all of my attempts at reciting various chants, prayers and scriptures ended up in failure. Yes, that’s right, I was making a fool out of myself for quite a while, and I still didn’t unlock Monk’s or Priest’s Job as a result, so recovery magic and Skills were still beyond my reach. But I guess I can only blame myself for that. After all, if something as simple and trivial as a prayer was enough to obtain a Job, then it wouldn’t require harsh training to begin with, right?
I always thought that prayers and such have nothing to do with magic, however, in this world, spells and Skills are both considered to be a type of magic. Right now, it looks like obtaining literally any Job that has access to healing spells and abilities might be more of a pain than it is actually worth it, but I shouldn’t allow myself to get discouraged so easily, especially if it’s going to help us in the long run. Also, I refuse to believe that training and pilgrimages are the only way of obtaining a Monk and Priest Jobs. Maybe I should ask Roxanne if there really isn’t…
「Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that there is one more way to obtain the Monk Job, the one that was designed specifically for warriors, and it is to defeat monsters with your bare hands. And I don’t want to brag, but I think I would more than up for this kind of task.」
Roxanne offered me a hint that I was waiting for at just the right time, most likely because she was starting to worry about my mental health. She could have told me about it before I started chanting random prayers like a madman, but I cannot say that to her, because that would be rude of me.
Well, it’s good if she’s confident in her own abilities, but if at all possible, I would also like to give it a shot. But can I really pull something as crazy as that off? And wait a goddamn sec! If Roxanne says she is fine with killing monsters with her bare hands, wouldn’t that make her one hell of a scary lass?!
Then again, if defeating a monster with nothing but your fists wasn’t possible, then it probably wouldn’t be listed as a requirement for getting a Monk Job. It’s the same as with the Swordsman Job or Mage Job: you get the former for defeating monsters with a sword, and the latter for using Attack Magic. Therefore, it would stand to reason that you should also get a Job for defeating enemies without the usage of any kind of weaponry.
But, you know… monks fighting with their bare hands? The only ones who fit that description to a T are the monks from the Shaolin Temple, since your typical Buddhist monks are more associated with sutras, Khakkharas (TL Note: Those staffs with lots of rings on them) and exorcising evil spirits. And even if I fail to get the Monk Job, maybe using hand-to hand combat will unlock some other offensive Job, like, maybe a boxer, brawler, or something along those lines? Either way, looks like it will at least be worth a try.
Still, there are various uncertainties regarding the exact conditions of unlocking the Monk Job by fighting monsters bare-handed. Most likely you have to 「defeat」 them without using any kind of melee weapon, but what does 「defeat」 mean here, exactly? Do I have to do all of the damage with my fists alone, or does it only have to be the finishing blow? And is it going to count if both of us will attack a single enemy?
For now, I guess we have no other choice but to test all of those options out.
「Roxanne, there’s a little something I want to try.」
「Something?」
「Well, I guess you can call it an experiment.」
「An experiment, huh?」
「Yeah. For now, I would like you to put away your sword and try fighting a few enemies with just your fists.」
「Roger!」
However, I am still skeptical about this. Before I came to Veil, I had trouble defeating a friggin (Caerbannog) Bunny with a Copper Sword, and now Roxanne was going to fight something stronger than a Bunny with nothing but her own two hands? I couldn’t help it but to worry, even if there are two of us now and we should have a level advantage over the Needlewoods. Just in case, I will have my weapon ready to strike at all times.
Oh man, if I tried doing it alone, it would certainly end up with my death, so let’s just see how this goes without trying too hard. Let’s try a single blow first.
I placed Durandal back at my hip and then jumped in front of the next Needlewood we encountered and I threw a straight haymaker at it with my right hand.
「Hng!!!」
Because I couldn’t use my sword, I had no choice but to go up close and personal with it, which meant that getting hit myself was inevitable. Thankfully, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it will be, most probably because my levels went up, resulting in me being able to take more punishment now, but the numbing, burning sensation pulsating in the place that was hit by the enemy remained much the same.
Then Roxanne joined me and we attacked the Needlewood together, both from its left and right sides. Faced with a 2v1 scenario, it wasn’t able to respond to our strikes fast enough. While Roxanne kept its attention on herself, I stepped a few steps to the back and brandished Durandal. Noticing me, Needlewood waved its wooden fist at me. I blocked its attack with Durandal’s hilt and then launched a counterattack, cleaving it cleanly in half.
While Roxanne was busy packing the leftover branches into her backpack, I checked the Party Job Settings once again, but much to my annoyance neither I nor Roxanne obtained the Monk Job. So it would seem that simply fighting the enemies with hand-to-hand combat was not enough after all. Maybe we should try defeating them after all?
The thing is, if we were to do that, then I don’t know how long a brawl like that would take. I’d need to get closer to the enemy than when I was using the Copper Sword, so that’s going to literally be a battle where my life will constantly be on the line.
At first, let’s try only hitting it with our fists as a finishing blow. But in order to do that, we cannot use Durandal, since it is just too strong and it will kill the enemy in one hit. Copper Sword is out of the question either because it’s just too weak. Luckily for me, Bonus Weapons Skill has six levels in total, so let’s see what we are going to get when I choose Bonus Weapons 5, one level below Durandal.
It gave a weapon called Fragarach. It does not have MP Absorption, but it possesses HP Drain, Chant Interruption and Attack Power 5x, so it’s not that much of a downgrade, if I am to be honest.
「Looks like you have quite a lot of weapons at your disposal, master. This one looks just as strong as your previous one.」
Roxanne praised me as she examined Fragarach with curious eyes and her hand on her chin.
「Thanks. I’ll try using this one next and we’ll see if it makes any difference, okay?」
「Right!」
Following Roxanne’s guidance, we immediately found our next target. Having her in the Party is so convenient that it is unbelievable. If everything goes well, maybe we could really go to the Labyrinth’s next level soon. Since all the monsters on this first level die in one hit from Durandal’s one blow, then as long as we only go one level up we should still be safe.
However, the scariest part about this world is that even with all the things listed above, I still cannot be absolutely sure that everything will go exactly as I planned. It is a world filled with Labyrinths that are actually sentient creatures, monsters roaming the wilderness and a fuckload of Bandits and other villainous scum wherever you go. A world where you can never know what will happen to you next, and that is why it is imperative to keep getting stronger so that when the time comes that the world is going to hit you with a 「Surprise Motherfucker」 card, you’ll just have to hit it back with a 「No U」 card and live your life in peace.
But that is a talk for the future. For now, we have to press forward without any regrets, hoping that our plan is not going to backfire on us.
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