Chapter 33 – Forest of Orca (１)

“Huuuuuurah!”

“That’s it!”

“Noooooooo!”

“It’s a bug, catch the bug!”

“Don’t talk crap—how’s that a bug? That’s skill!”

The moment Jun landed a perfect 100% hit rate, cheers and groans of joy and sorrow erupted from every direction, a moment where fates crossed.

[Indeed, worthy of my master. How magnificent. Do you crave a kiss from this servant of yours? Just say the word. I’d kiss you a hundred times over!]

“No thanks, a kiss is out of the question….”

[Ohoho! How shy you are. Well, fine. Whenever you want that kiss, just speak up.]

And so, finally…

“F-firing complete….”

The shooting was over.

A heated reaction from everyone.

But Gijun remained calm.

If anything, it would have been more surprising to him if he’d missed even one.

[Ohoho. Right. That’s the bare minimum to be my master.]

‘Yeah, that’s right.’

A smile had already crept onto Gijun’s lips.

Being acknowledged for your skill was always a pleasure.

After all, wasn’t this proof that all his long years of effort hadn’t been in vain?

What’s more, that effort was now bearing tremendous fruit, transforming him into a new person.

There was no way he couldn’t be happy.

Just then, a knight’s voice rang out.

“Mages, please wait a moment! Once all shooting is finished, we will consolidate your level, stats, and shooting scores to assign you to the appropriate units!”

Then a message appeared.

[Achievement Unlocked!]

[All stats increased by 5!]

In the end, Gijun had hit every target and achieved the feat.

Soon, someone called out to him.

“Mage Jun, please come this way if you would!”

*

“Impressive. A 100% hit rate.”

“This individual is the only mage who hit every target.”

Right now, about ten knights were gathered inside a barracks.

They were all knights hired by the lord of the Rotom Commercial District.

At the same time, they were the commanding officers at the vanguard of this Subjugation Team.

Among them, the knight seated in the highest seat was the Subjugation Captain of this mission.

“There’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“This one’s level is the lowest among the mages who volunteered for this subjugation. He’s level 50.”

“Level 50?”

“Troublesome. Assigning a level 50 to the Special Task Force is far too dangerous.”

At that, everyone nodded.

Even though the minimum level was 50, the mission they intended to entrust him with was far too difficult for a mere level 50 to handle.

“However, there’s something unusual.”

With those words, the knight handed something to the Subjugation Captain.

It was Gijun’s stat verification result.

“Hmm…. These figures are definitely far higher than an average mage’s.”

“Yes. It’s clear his stats are at a level difficult to associate with a level-50 mage.”

“Clearly. He’s no ordinary mage. So how many are there in total? Including the one with that ninety-percent hit rate?”

“Four in total, sir.”

“Then the one who proves most capable among those four will be entrusted with the mission.”

Their conversation continued like that.

“He’s here.”

A knight’s voice rang out from outside, and the Subjugation Captain spoke.

“Show him in.”

*

“…”

Right now, Gijun stood outside the barracks.

Three other mages stood beside him.

All of them were the mages who had achieved that ninety-percent accuracy rate.

“You said a hundred percent, right? That’s impressive.”

“…Still, his gear’s a bit…”

“Well, maybe he just got lucky.”

Every one of them was sizing Gijun up right now.

After all, he was the only mage here who’d hit a perfect accuracy rate.

[What are those insolent fools babbling about?]

Gijun wasn’t riled up, but Libre was — she shouted in fury.

Not that they could hear her, of course.

Still, ambition blazed in the mages’ eyes.

And they all felt the same thing.

There’s something going on here.

This is a hidden quest.

I can’t afford to lose.

Soon, the quest hidden within the quest.

In other words, the hidden quest was about to begin.

A moment later, a voice came from inside.

“Show him in.”

And now—

Ding!

[A Class Quest has been triggered!]

At the same time, a message materialized before Gijun’s eyes.

[Master. Put those insolent brats firmly in their place.]

Libre left him that one line as she watched the message.

Of course, Gijun had no intention of letting this quest slip through his fingers.

Obviously.

He didn’t voice it aloud to avoid unnecessary conflict, but Gijun’s competitive fire was already blazing hot.

He looked back into the air.

A message visible only to him.

It was the Class Quest.

[Special Task Force Appointment]

-Grade : Class

-Pass the Special Task Force qualification exam and be assigned to the Special Task Force.

-Reward : Special Task Force Ring / Special Task Force Appointment / Linked Quest

-On Failure : Quest Canceled

Special Task Force, huh.

A Special Task Force meant carrying out special missions.

And that something was the fundamental reason Gijun had volunteered for this subjugation in the first place.

In other words, it had to be connected to finding the Second Heart.

Still…

‘On failure, quest canceled.’

If he failed this quest, he might never obtain the Fragment of the God, as the Seeker had spoken of.

Absolutely not.

He couldn’t allow that to happen.

No matter what it took, he had to pass this quest.

Soon, Gijun and the mages stepped inside the barracks.

“Pleasure to meet you all. I’m Gess, the captain of this Subjugation Team.”

With that, the Subjugation Captain began to speak.

“You four posted the best results in this mage test. As you’ve probably guessed, we intend to select the single most outstanding mage among you.”

A smile tugged at every corner of their mouths.

The smile of anglers who’d just hooked the big one they’d been waiting for.

“Of course, your fundamentals have already been thoroughly verified. We’re planning something a bit more — a genuine ‘live-fire’ test. What we need isn’t an ordinary mage, but a ‘teammate’ capable of solving problems under any circumstances.”

[Who else but you, my master? Heh heh…]

Gijun thought so too, of course.

He was confident he wouldn’t fall short of anyone here.

“Then please return here in thirty minutes.”

With that, the Subjugation Captain handed something to the mages.

It was a map.

A red dot marked it — a location some distance from where they stood.

“The test will take place there in secrecy. Don’t be late.”

“Understood.”

The mages scattered, each holding a map.

Gijun stepped out of the barracks and fell into thought.

‘…Hmm.’

This wasn’t going to be easy, he realized.

If it were a simple arena to test raw skill, he’d have been confident enough.

Like the marksmanship display from earlier.

But if firepower — magic attack power — was factored in, it would be no simple exam for him.

‘Well, no help for it then.’

Gijun had only one way to boost his firepower right now.

‘Cash Purchase.’

Of course, he couldn’t just pour in an absurd amount.

Still, now he had the leeway to spend a considerable sum.

‘A bit of a waste, though.’

After all, once he passed level 60, he could equip better gear.

But Gijun knew.

This wasn’t the time to be stingy.

‘Because if I blow this, it’s all over.’

There was no way he could handle the penalty of Quest cancellation.

‘He said thirty minutes…’

Gijun decided to spend the remaining time buying equipment.

‘Just a little bit. Just a little.’

Of course, that ‘little bit’ was more than his former annual salary.

*

‘Alright.’

Gijun finally finished his shopping.

The items he purchased were as follows:

[Ancient Red Crystal Wand]

>Grade : Legendary

>Physical Attack : 40

>Magic Attack : 330

>Magic Power +45

>Magic Attack +55%

>Elemental Attack +55%

>Casting Speed +10%

>Movement Speed +5%

>Mana Recovery +8%

[Golden Crystal Mana Girdle]

>Grade : Legendary

>Physical Attack : 55

>Physical Defense : 80

>Magic Defense : 100

>Magic Attack +15%

>Elemental Attack +10%

>Damage Absorption +11%

>Mana Shield +2100

[Burning Spider-Silk Embroidered Robe]

>Grade : Legendary

>Defense : 130

>Magic Defense : 230

>Magic Attack +40%

>Mana Absorption – 10% of damage taken

>Damage Absorption 15%

>Elemental Attack +7%

>Stamina +10

>Magic Power +10

Three Legendary-grade items with no level requirement—no small thing.

That meant they were the best pieces of gear available before level 60.

Even compared to most items after level 60, these were outright superior.

The price was astronomical.

Gijun had to spend far more than he’d originally planned.

Not that he minded one bit.

‘No reason to regret it.’

He wasn’t the kind of person who grieved over money anymore.

Sure, he wasn’t suddenly wealthy, but at least he didn’t need to pinch pennies where it mattered.

The high cost came specifically from boosting elemental attack—not just fire, but across the board.

‘I don’t only wield fire, after all.’

He’d had to spend extra to increase the power of his wind attribute too.

‘Elemental Attack options cost at least twice as much as single-element ones.’

Still, he was confident this would be enough to surpass everyone in the upcoming test.

‘It’s clearly not a trial that only measures raw firepower.’

It would test firepower while also weighing countless other factors.

Hadn’t the Subjugation Captain said as much?

That they were looking for a ‘party member’ who could navigate any crisis.

So a decent level of firepower was sufficient.

He could make up the rest with his own skill.

That was the pride Gijun felt in himself.

‘This kind of thing is my specialty, after all.’

This was his moment to show his true colors as a Battle Mage.

‘Let’s go.’

Checking the time, Gijun started moving.

Toward the place the Subjugation Captain had mentioned.

*

“You’ve all come well.”

The Subjugation Captain was already waiting for them.

It was the area outside the Rotom Commercial District, where the Captain had led them.

“As I said, we intend to appoint only one mage to the Special Task Force. Mages are the only class we handpick from among adventurers. That’s because mages are such rare and precious talent.”

“…!!”

At those words, the players’ eyes went wide.

A fierce competitive spirit practically radiated off them.

Wasn’t it obvious?

A Special Task Force that only one among countless players could join.

‘This is insane.’

‘I have to snatch this up, no matter what.’

‘How could I let this slip?’

“This forest is off-limits to passage. No human foot has touched it in a long time. The paths are treacherous, and it’s a dangerous place where monsters could spring out at any moment.”

As everyone’s eyes blazed with determination, the Subjugation Captain spoke again.

He gestured toward the forest behind him as he said this.

“Inside this forest lives a monster called Orca. Hunt it and bring me the horn from its head. The one who returns with it first will be appointed to the Special Task Force. And once you’re in the Special Task Force, you’ll be entrusted with the most critical role in this mission. The reward won’t be small, either.”

“…!”

At those words, Gijun smiled.

Monster hunting.

That was a fight he had no reason to lose to anyone else.

Especially in treacherous terrain like a forest—he was even more confident.

‘I don’t know if there’s a Superhuman among them….’

Even if there was, it wouldn’t change a thing.

A harsh, wild landscape like this was the very stage where a Battle Mage could truly shine.

“Now, begin.”

With the Subjugation Captain’s single command, the mages started moving.

The moment he set foot into the forest, a welcome message appeared before his eyes.

[Seeker-exclusive Achievement has been triggered!]

‘…Oh?’

[Heh heh….]

A Seeker-exclusive Achievement.

Its conditions were—

– Defeat Orca within 1 hour

– Reward: All Stats +10 / Skill ‘???’

‘A Skill, huh.’

Just getting a boost to all Stats was incredible, but this Achievement came with an additional Skill reward.

‘It really knows how to get a man’s heart racing.’

*

With all the mages now inside the forest,

the adjutant spoke up.

“Orca? Isn’t that setting the bar far too high? That beast is the overlord of this forest. On top of that… it rarely ever leaves its own lair.”

That was the truth.

Orca was the forest’s overlord.

Which meant there was only one of them.

And it hardly ever ventured outside its own territory.

The catch was that finding its lair was a nightmare.

The Orca Forest was vast, and thick with monsters, swamps, cliffs—a horrifying landscape through and through.

Hearing that, the Subjugation Captain said firmly,

“Only someone who can overcome that is worthy of the Special Task Force. They need to survive any environment. And the observational skill to track down the target is essential. Aren’t all the current members of the Special Task Force people who endured brutal training?”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true. If they’re just going to be dead weight, it’s better to have no one at all.”

“Exactly. We can’t afford to carry baggage. This mission is a fight for the very survival of our Rotom Commercial District. There must be no mistakes.”