We're on the third day of this trip. The frequency of monsters attacking us has increased… Although each group has only been four or less, mainly hobgoblins. Six out of ten have been them, two were horned squirrels and the rest void wolves. Thanks to this, I was able to increase my level from seven to nine. That one passive to increase EXP was quite helpful.. Even though it was only 0.25 of the actual EXP..
I gained one more skill, Wall of Flames. From the name, I would assume, well… A literal wall of flames. As much as I want to try it, I don't think the guys would appreciate being trapped in a literal forest fire.
Whilst we were taking our breaks, I was able to read the history of magic. Some of the words were smeared out, there was no reason. Specifically the spell that the Goddess of War and Magic had tried to give to humanity. Every instance of it was cancelled out, I couldn't say what it was about.
"We finally made it here." James announced as we entered a clearing. It was a rather large area, much larger than the lakes we stopped by. It was a grassy field, in the center there was sunlight beaming down on a field of multi-colored flowers. Purple, yellow, orange, and pink? Every day… This is reminding me that I'm in a fantasy world.
They looked nothing like earthly flowers… The purple were plagelacs; spirally plants whose shapes went awry. James warned me to avoid touching these with my bare skin. They can cause the individual to become seriously sick, and have a chance to die from just a mere touch.
As for the rest, they were just random. Those were the ones we needed, according to him. He handed me a small bag and a knife to cut them from the stem. Even myself, I found this job a bore…
The only fun part was listening to the guy's babbling and quips they sent towards each other. Unfortunately for that… This patch of flowers was decently sized but with five people it was cleared out quickly. And it looks like I got the least… My personal bag was a quarter full, whilst the others were brimming.
Looks like I'll be carried in every which way… And I thought a reincarnated life, I'd be decently capable.. I disheartenedly thought whilst tying the strings of my bag. If I hadn't expected this, tears would've appeared in my eyes… And I would be cursing at the sky, at the top of my lungs. But I shook my head, and set the bag down on the ground.
"Well done." James walked up to me, there was an obvious prideful look on his lips. I just gave him a blank stare, in my heart I already got used to his looks and actions to me. Well, duh… It's been over a month since I took over this body…No use getting frustrated… I took this to my heart– Literally. At least this time he didn't try to pat my head…
"W-What else is there to do?"
"Jin'll sort it all out, each of these herbs has a special effect for brewing." James opened his bag, and explained each function of the plants– He had already done this once, but I was barely paying him any mind… Anyways. The yellow flowers. Whoever forbids me remembering these. Are used to treat illnesses, such as fevers, pneumonia, anything alike.
Secondly, the orange flowers– Pretty standard, and the least useful out of them. They cure stomachaches. That's all. I had to tilt my head at this, their uses were pretty– Useless. James let out a small laugh before picking up the last one.
"This one is the most useful, it can-"
"We got company, a lot of company." Jin called out, he turned his head to the front.
"Well, we should've known…" I heard James mumble in an irritated tone. His eyes were glued on the enormous amount of monsters to our twelve o' clock. There were so many, at least two dozen wolves, and four groups of hobgoblins. Half the void wolves were being ridden by hobgoblins in shredded leather armor. They wore helmets made out of animal skin.
"Looks like it's time to show off, huh?" Shaun said, unlike James his tone was happy and up beat. He unsheathed his sword, and attached his shield to his free hand. Verd followed up by swinging his glaive in a circle, then standing it to his side.
"Whoever kills the most has to buy the others dinner?" Verd responded in a greedy tone, but like Shaun, he had a happy way. Before Shaun could respond an arrow flew. It smashed against his shield and laughter rang from the horde of hobgoblins.
There were no more chances to say anything, the first wave rushed at them. Half the pack ran, whilst a quarter of the goblins followed after.
The first void wolf rider smashed against Shaun's shield. Whilst its rider pulled its rusty weapon back. He stayed unmoving, holding the wolf back with one arm.
His blade collided, then in the next movement he slid it down. I couldn't see what else happened, only that the goblin's arm fell off. Then the scream, then falling off its mount.
James's name was cried out by Shaun. In response he held his hands out, and the same yellow aura overtook his body. In one fell swoop, his sword cut through the neck of his opponent.
More just kept coming, soon two void wolf riders pounced on him. They just kept coming, I could hear pained grunts coming from him. Verd wasn't doing so hot either… He just finished his first opponent off, then three rushed towards him.
James kept sending spell after spell, from blinding shots that struck their bodies. The wounds that accumulated on them quickly disappeared.
What the fuck am I supposed to do?! If I use my fireball it'll just hit them!GAH SCREW IT! Sorry Shaun, Verd and Jin… I raised my palms, as I visualized my spell.
The mana from my core, spread to my hands and shot forth. Then with my new passive, I made it fly at a noticeably fast speed.
It first collided with the side of a wolf, the flames spread to its owner's armor. With one wolf panicking and jumping around, Shaun easily mutilated the wolf in front and changed his view.
I shot one after another, striking one, then the second wolf on Verd's side. He cut them into multiple pieces, leaving them into bloody piles of meat.
This… New passive is surprisingly handy! I shook with excitement, that did not last long however. The last wolf howled, whilst its owner cried out.
Jin, who tried to attack from the rear, was suddenly struck… His body lurched to the side, but he kept his balance. He ripped something from his stomach then jumped back from the horde.
"They're calling on reinforcements."
"We're going to have to run." James responded to him, he held a ball of light in his hand; shoving it into the gaping hole in Jin's stomach. I don't think we can… Our surroundings were completely covered. Creatures of all kinds left their shrubbery spots. Wolves, goblins, green slimes, and many different creatures in large amounts.
We can't leave…Why does something always bad happen on these missions?! Inside my mind I lamented, and cursed whoever brought me to this world! Either someone gets hurt, or something goes complete- "AH!"
"Yukina! What's wrong?- … Jin, get her the hell out of here."
What… What hit- The piercing pain in my stomach clouded my mind.. An arrow was… Poking out of my stomach. ..I can- I can't breathe…
"Jin get her the hell out of here now!"
"What-"
"We can make it out of here, she's my top priority here! I'll put a buff on you, but you must take her back to the carriage!"
"Got it."
What's… Going on?I feel so light.
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James
'Well isn't that great.' James grumbled inside his mind. He watched as his adopted daughter was carried off by his long time companion. He rolled up his sleeve, and pulled out his personal dagger. A pristine, black blade that curved outwards.
"Eh? You're going to fight too?" Shaun questioned just after he took to James's side.
"We're in a pickle, of course."
"Then we'll be fine. Haha… It'll be tough, but we'll be alright." Verd laughed in response to hearing James's claims. "Mr. Frenzied Healer, shall we?" He readied his glaive, holding it out in front of him, and keeping the blade lower.
As a gun shot starting a race, James cast three spells– enveloping them all in a hue of yellow. The dirt underneath Verd and Shaun kicked up as they blinked towards the hobgoblin riders.
James turned his entire body, flipping his grip on his weapon. Three hobgoblins raced towards him, their weapons ready to skewer his entire body.
A flick of his wrist later, green blood splattered the ground. The first hobgoblin's neck was slashed open.
The other two swung their weapons wildly, trying to catch him– He quickly stepped to the side, back and moved once more to the side. In two movements of his arm, their throats had been gouged open.
Wasting no time, he started his sprint to the rest of the hordes– His movements were in a zigzag, as arrows flew past him, one caught his sleeve but left no trace of damage.
Quickly, monsters and animals fell to his blade. Not even a minute passed, and over a dozen creatures fell in a pool of blood.
'Feels great fighting again.' James's thoughts ran to, a group of green monsters swarmed him. A slight smile curled onto his face.
"Looks like he's having fun eh?"
"Looks like it, staying on the back constantly would be boring." Shaun confirmed Verd's claims. They stood in a pile of corpses– The irony smell of blood assaulting their nostrils. Their gazes never once fell on the bodies around them–
The ground around them being dyed of every color imaginable– Green, red, and blue. They seeped into the earth underneath.
"Let's leave him be, I doubt they can take him down." Verd strolled to a nearby tree, let his weapon rest against it and leaned back. His gaze lingered over James, who wildly turned his body, and constantly kept on his feet.
"He really lives up to his name, huh?"
"Pretty much… A healer who fights. Explains why he's the one who manages everything. The more weird one is, the better they are." Verd rested his head against his arms. "And, we don't get to rest much. Hah…" His words left his mouth as the last creature fell around James.
"Frenzied Healer, it really fits." Shaun cupped his mouth, as he whispered to Verd. Multi colored blood stained James's cloak, and the skin on his arm. A slight splatter streaked across his cheek. He slowly stepped towards them whilst cleaning the splatter.
"That was pretty fun…" James muttered whilst looking at his hand. "What's with that look you two? Nevermind, I can see why." He continued whilst looking down at his body. 'I look like a mess, Melinda'll surely kill me.' There was a slight dread that entered his heart.
Time flew by as they stood there quietly, their eyes scanning over the battlefield; unanimously and quietly, they carved into the chests of each creature– If their body was intact, and skinned the void wolves' pelts.
************************************************************************************
That fucking arrow hurts! GAH! Calm down, calm down… It'll go away… NO IT WON'T! I had to curl myself into a ball. The pain eased there, but it still hurt like a- Whatever they say… Jin and I were already back at the carriage… He ran too fast for me to think, and the pulsating pain where I was shot… It negated the time realization.
I was on the floorboards… James did heal my stomach, but the pain was still there. The ever so god loving pain, it wasn't fatal but it still was agonizing. After what felt like forever, it had finally stopped– Suddenly. There was no easing, or anything. It just stopped, as if it had not been there.
"Still hurts?" Jin asked me as soon as I popped out of the carriage. He was resting against the side, he switched his weapon to his previous bow. It strapped diagonally against his chest. Guess I couldn't hide my nervousness. He immediately asked me not long after, "worried about them?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Your adopted dad isn't some pushover. He's not some normal healer that people think he is."
"Isn't it still dangerous?"
"Of course it is." Jin shook his head, his tone was as if I asked something stupid. "It's always going to be dangerous, but you being there held him back. That's why he had me run you over here."
And there it is… Something I had expected.And yes I know, it was something stupid, you don't have to give me that damn glare. I pretended to sulk back into the carriage. I sat against the side, whilst bringing my knees up to my chin. He stayed outside, and I can imagine contemplating where I came from.
Will they be alright? I wonder, I haven't seen much of James in action. Verd and Shaun were struggling a bit against those wolves. They never showed much of their own strength, only those instances. Even normal people have their status and skills, this was explained to me. I let out a sigh, as I let the worry that built up go.
To distract myself, I looked at my status. Helping with those kills pushed me to level ten. I gained another skill– [Earth Manipulation] It had the same effect as [Fire Manipulation.]. Except I don't have any earth spells.
That wasn't the only difference in my status, there was a new screen.
[Class: 0/2]
Class, as in a video game? Those things in mmorpgs? I thought as I brought my hand to my chin. Not even identify works on it. I can't pull up a menu or anything…Looks like I'll have to ask him about it… I kept pondering my mind about this, what if it was like those in games? Maybe I'll have to go to the adventurers' guild to accept it. Or like usual this system is messing with me, not letting me gain benefits. Hopefully it isn't the latter!
I don't know how long, but it's been hours since… I can see from inside the sky that it has turned black, and the night's sky was peering over. There was some voices that I could hear just over the horizon– It sounded like James, Shaun and Verd. This caused me to pop my head out, it was them, with slightly messy appearances. Thankfully they're okay.
James slightly waved at me with a smile, he was carrying a hefty amount of bags. Looks like he fought too, his wife will surely be mad. His clothes had many holes in them, but it looked like he didn't get hurt.
Least to say, I was pretty shocked from what was told about what happened… James was pretty shocking in himself. I never thought he could fight, or he had a pretty strong knife! Plus, it was a magic item itself. With a scratch to the back of his head, he told me the price. Fifty silver for it. It boosted his strength, agility and dexterity when it was in his palms.
The frenzied healer? What kind of edgy nickname is that? James immediately had an embarrassed look on his face, rubbing the back of his head with a slight red to his face. Heck even scratching his nose with pride. It fits him from what was said, Shaun and Verd praised him, and talked about his fights more than their own.
Apparently early on in his career, he was also a frontliner for some time. Taking the place of Jin till he got bored of it. He learned he could use healing magic just after that, eventually taking on the role of a support. Ever since then, if things got dicey he'd take up the role of the frenzied healer.
I couldn't contain my disbelief, he must have two classes… As well, it's a common thing. I didn't ask questions, only sat there, listening to their tales. We ate dinner, simple dried meats and had water to drink. Melinda's cooking will be heavenly tasting when we get back. It was the only thought I had when I dug in.
Then it was morning, and we set off. Jin took his place as the driver, whilst the rest of us sat in the back. We set off at a much quicker pace than we left– Double the speed, I could feel it from the rocking the carriage was doing.
"Um… J-James…" I asked him hesitantly.
"Hm? Yes? What is it?"
"I-I had this thing different in my status… It's a thing called…" To show my "confusion". I had my head tilt, whilst holding out my hand so he could check. "A class, can you see what it is?"
"Oh- You already hit level ten? Let me see…" He took them, then an obvious awe came across his face. I felt his mana penetrate my skin, and he quickly brought a finger to his chin. "Your stats aren't bad, for now. I'm glad to see that malnourished status is gone… Now for classes… Verd, can you explain?"
"Huh? Why? She's your daughter."
"Fine… Fine, my apologies if it becomes long winded." James shrugged and hung his head slightly. His gaze tensed, and a sucking of my mana came. But, a blue screen appeared in my vision, it wasn't my status but his.
Name: James Gabri
Age: 34
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Status: Healthy
Class: Healer, Rogue (2/2)
Level: 42
Str: 18 Dex: 148 End: 16 Int: 130 Agi: 160 Luck: 4
"E-Eh?" I let out, in both actual and fake shock… His status is so strong compared to mine.
"As you can see my two classes there, they boost the stats you gain from leveling." James explained and removed his hands from mine. "It lets you choose two, either you can split them or have both focusing on one or two stats. Rogue is the first class I chose, whilst healer is my second."
"I-I see…" I muttered, whilst screaming internally. That's pretty obvious! But how the heck do I-
"The adventurers' guild lets you choose them… I'll pay the fee, just choose something you want, they're permanent."
"T-Thank… You-"
Thank you genius… Well… I couldn't blame him, I'm acting as an innocent, naive girl… for the rest of the trip, he had me think over the choices– Currently with all the materials and requests we got, I can only get one. I didn't need much to think about my choice.
There's two options– A wizard or an elementalist. Or witch in my case- Thanks. Apparently wizards focus on all classes of wizardry, offensive, support and defensive. An overall balanced class, whilst the elementalist is focused on pure offensive power.
I might just choose wizard, it's my best bet. I thought as we neared Untergrant, there were a bunch of guards at the gate. They all held their weapons, and armed them once we stopped.
"Step out of the carriage!" One of them barked at us, he was the only one without a helmet on his head. But he had a greatsword strapped to his back. We all complied quietly, although a lot slower than he expected just by his face. A deep frown, furrowed eyebrows and a bulging vein. They became more twisted by the look of me. "What is your business here?"
"Sir, we live here." James brought out his id and handed it to the captain. "We were doing a request that was given to us by the lord of this city."
"Then what is that doing here? We know of you, but not that thing." The captain spat whilst pointing at me, with his other hand he threw James's card back at him.
"She's my adopted daughter."
Unhand my head.
"...Keep that thing on a leash, we can't risk having things like them running around."
"She's well behaved for the most part. And um, sir… May I ask what is going on?" James asked as I tapped his hand to let me go. It took a few more taps before he unhanded my head. The captain stayed quiet, but the air around him was tense. After a few moments, he let us pass into the city.