Chapter 48

The greater the skill’s potential, it was more likely the System would assign it names from various myths worldwide, such as Isis, Loki, Hermes, Shiva, and the Devas. When entered into a database, those names were used as an indicator to quantify the skill’s power. While no one knew the mechanisms behind the skill names, it cannot be denied that the divine names in the skill greatly influenced the individual hunter’s confidence, who were all already strong from the start. (EN: They had to be strong enough to acquire these powerful skills.)

The closer the hunter was to an S class, the individual would derive their codename from their major skill. The codename of the unofficial sixth of the Eight Virtues, who had been the original owner of this skill, had been Odin. While he may have been flighty in daily life, he was the incarnation of Odin during battles. He had been like a lightning storm itself, and if he had been Odin, I will now let these mutts have a taste of my thunder!

***

I felt a clean slice, and my swing beheaded the Declan without feeling my sword grinding through the neckbone. I would have effortlessly beheaded this mutt if my strength had been E class, but it seemed that the lightning flowing down my blade was making this possible.

This was indeed a skill from a challenger box, and if I could kill the monsters with one shot, I could do this. I waited behind the door I had broken, as this was an advantageous spot. No matter how many monsters there were in front of me, the number of those who could go against me would be limited.

The problem was how long my strength will last…

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

The message dissipated as another dog’s head shoved in through the doorway, and I saw the monster’s chest where the message window had been. I stabbed the monster, so the blade stuck out of its back and I kicked its corpse away from me, and off my sword.

I pierced the third monster’s face, and the mutts may have realized something when they saw three bodies pile up in front of me. Another came jumping in without thought and made the number four, and I kicked away the body with my foot.

The monsters were no longer running into my sword, but they were still willing to fight, and the number increased though they maintained a certain distance from the doorway and my sword. I quickly checked the corridor behind me, and if they had raised the alarm, the other door in the first room would open for another herd of monsters to come in from behind, which would mean my death.

However, I did not hear anything behind my back, which meant the alarm had not been raised yet. Had a spellcaster who could do such a thing been among this group of Declan Patrol Soldiers? Since I had not gotten the Monster Alarm Insignia, there was no way for me to tell. One good thing was that there should have been only one spellcaster in this group.

I was betting my life on that fact, and if I faced another group, and they had a spellcaster… [email protected] I could only hope that I didn’t get surrounded and ripped apart.

The rest of the mutts were still hanging back and thinking of my limits as an F class, and the duration of my skill, I could not afford to spend more time. I had to either advance or retreat, and I moved a step backward and then another.

My leg had not been healed because I was still feeling the pain, and I would drive them into a frenzy if I showed them my back. I saw countless monsters from the open door, and while I had to fight against them, I did not have any healers or tankers. I only had a damage dealer, and that was myself.

***

While this was only one of the many rooms in the dungeon, my goal had changed from fight to survival. This situation was inevitable since I had to come here alone. However, I had no choice as the world had changed, and I had come of my own volition.

Mother [email protected]

The monster may have read my anxiety, and one of them jumped towards me even though I had not continued my retreat. Moreover, the monster’s speed was faster than others, and I knew that when I stabbed its chest. I tried to block its darting head with my hand, but it moved its head faster.

The monster avoided my hand, and bit my shoulder as hard as it could. My legs shook, and I could not take my sword out. I was lucky I had not let go of it, and the monster pushed in until the sword’s guard slammed against its chest, in its savagery pressing home a suicide attack.

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

It finally died, and the head that bit me was tearing into the meat of my shoulder with the weight of its limp body.

I stifled a moan as I shoved away the body, as the pain increased because the teeth locked in my flesh were wrenched due to the motion of the dead mutt. I saw other monsters behind the mutt’s shoulders, and if they recognized what was going on, everything was over.

If they came in at once, I had no way of attacking or enduring. I counted up to three inwardly and gripped the monster’s head as hard as I could, and twisted with all my strength.

I could not hold back a scream as its head snapped back with a chunk of my flesh in its mouth. However, I managed to take out my sword and aimed it at one of the monsters rushing at me as it jumped over the corpses of its fellows.

Damn, I got thrown to the ground, as I still was not used to being an F class. I had made a mistake and instinctively held my sword horizontally. Even if the monster tried to twist its body in mid-air, it could not do so due to the speed. The monster pierced itself on my sword, and pinned me under its corpse.

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

I did not care about the message anymore, as I already knew that the monster was dead. I could not throw off its body without letting go of my sword, and before I stood up, I threw my dagger at the monsters. Only one fell down, and the rest were through the door. I did not have any time to think or respond.

I wanted to run away when I had fallen on the ground, ignoring the unspoken rules of the dungeon and going back the way I had come. However, I did not have an Escape Insignia, and my instincts and intellect gave me different orders.

One never got used to this no matter how experienced they were, situations where their survival instinct screamed “Fight!” or “Flight!”. Anyone’s hands would shake facing death. However, I had not come here without my final trump card.

I gave the one running up to me a chance to kill me and exposed my neck. I wanted it to bite it like it was a lunging shark.

“GET OVER HERE!” (EN: ^_^ )

***

With a crunching sound, I saw a message.

[The trait the Man Who Overcome Adversity has been activated.]

I did not feel any shock and instead felt quite calm.

[Your stamina class has been changed. Change: F -> E.]

[Your strength class has been changed.  Change: F -> E.]

[Your perception class has been changed. Change: F -> E.]

[Odin’s Wrath class has been changed. Change: F -> E.]

[Your wounds will be moderately healed.]

[You will be immune to pain temporarily.]

I saw a blue light on the ground, as the sword that had been standing up due to being stuck in the corpse was now leaning as it burned off the mutt’s flesh that touched its blade, due to Odin’s Wrath.

I reached out to the smoking, stinking void that had been made in the mutt’s body and felt the handle. I immediately used it to slice the neck of the one biting mine.

I now felt something I had been unable to feel with my F class senses, which was the strength of the deathgrip from its teeth when it died. I used my left fist to punch the head, and the monster’s skull dented visibly with the sounds of bone splintering.

The pain was sharp, as I felt my skin rip from its teeth.

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

I killed three at once after standing up. I sliced one in half sideways, used my lowered blade to slice upwards, opening it up from crotch to sternum, and slashed the third with the blade that was now raised up. I vertically sliced the third one, and when the monsters hesitated, I used the time to step back with my eyes on them.

They had intellect, especially regarding fights, and the distance from the entrance was wide enough for them to spread out.

Some ran to circled me from the back, and I would not let them surround me. My back route would be completely blocked soon, and I could not let them block my line of retreat. Four had gone behind my back, and I could now kill all of them.

I was now able to use my sword more fluidly with my strengthened skill level and was able to swing it with a lot more force.

Even if my leg was wounded, it moved better than an unawaked uninjured one. That was the difference between an F class and an E class. I killed the four, and others came behind me like moths to a flame.

Their heads were now rolling on the floor.

[You have beaten the Declan Patrol Soldier.]

[You have gained two points.]

[Declan Extermination: Exterminated Declan Soldier 17/60]

While Odin’s Wrath lasted for thirty minutes, Adversity Overcomer lasted for five.

[Adversity Overcomer time remaining 0 hours 4 minutes 00 seconds]

[Adversity Overcomer time remaining 0 hours 3 minutes 59 seconds]

I could see the message from the corner of my eye and started almost running backward, and I could hear their growls that said they would not let me escape.

Edited by Userunfriendly