Chapter 20 – LV.Three Martial Artist Gaeulbi – [One]

In Immortal Kingdom, there exists a class that must fight barehanded. A class that must engage in close combat with monsters without weapons or armor. This rebellious class, which seems to deny the history of human development and insists that humanity must return to living in trees, is the Martial Artist.

Back when Immortal Kingdom was a TRPG, from the time the rulebook was first published, the Martial Artist was considered a class inferior even to a single Skeleton summon.

The power of punches and kicks performed without weapons fell short of an actual Skeleton’s attack. As for defense, only allowed to wear cloth garments? It was even worse than a Mage, who would typically protect themselves with all sorts of Protection Spells.

Passive skills were granted to compensate for the penalty of not being able to wear Equipment by increasing fixed Ability Scores, but even that was far inferior to actually wearing Equipment.

Furthermore, when the game progressed to a point where other classes adorned themselves with various Magic Equipment to complete powerful builds, Martial Artist Players had to waste time arguing with the Game Master about whether a qipao was lore-friendly in the game’s setting.

The result was the birth of a class ranked lowest in both offensive and defensive capabilities, a fact that remained unchanged despite multiple rule revisions.

Despite having ample room for buffs, the game company left this class untouched and abandoned. This was because the Martial Artist’s frailty had become a sort of meme, and Players began to enjoy its pitiful performance. It was certainly not because the Martial Artist possessed performance that even came close to matching other classes.

Since then, the Martial Artist was only utilized as a class for concept Players who didn’t care about performance. Even in those days, there was an atmosphere of treating the choice of the Martial Artist class as trolling, on the grounds that it didn’t help the Party.

And now that the game had become reality, the Martial Artist was regarded as something harmful, leeching off the Experience Points of other Players.

Seo Yun looked at the couple walking ahead of her. Now that she was teamed up with them, to be honest, she felt cheated.

‘One Warrior whose only merit is not being a Martial Artist… and one actual Martial Artist.’

She had to fight alongside them? It was hard to accept.

Seo Yun had no intention of discriminating against specific classes, but she absolutely did not believe it was acceptable to invite a Martial Artist into a Party.

Isolating a sick person in a ward instead of inviting them to a festival isn’t discrimination; it’s an appropriate measure, right? Similarly, placing a Martial Artist as far away as possible from other Players was a justifiable measure.

The place for a Martial Artist is not the battlefield against Monsters, but the fields for Farming. That is beneficial for both the Martial Artist and other Players. According to what Seo Yun had learned, and what Senior Players had realized through sweat and blood, that was a clear fact.

Seo Yun looked at Gaeulbi, who was chattering away cheerfully, and thought. A Martial Artist, yet Level 3? How on earth is that even possible?

If that fact weren’t true, she would have returned her belt and gone back to the village long ago. The reason she hadn’t and was going along with them for now was because she believed they must have some skill to have leveled up this far.

Actually, even that belief was shaky. Seo Yun asked.

“How do you two hunt Monsters with just the two of you?”

Gaeulbi declared proudly.

“Gear-carry!”

Pointing at Han Siwoo, Gaeulbi continued.

“Look, that Bracelet Siwoo is wearing? It’s not just any Bracelet; it’s a Bracelet of Haste. It’s an Artifact that doubles movement speed. If we’re in danger in the rear, he can rush over immediately to help!”

No wonder he seemed too fast to even consider outrunning. Seo Yun glared at Han Siwoo and asked Gaeulbi again.

“Are you a rear support too?”

“Yeah, I’ll shoot a Crossbow from the back!”

“As a Martial Artist?”

Gaeulbi laughed.

“How am I supposed to fight Monsters with punches and kicks?”

Well, fighting house-sized monsters barehanded was difficult even in the game, but in reality, it was downright impossible.

At least the multiple rule revisions helped in this case. It was a significant advancement that Martial Artists, who originally couldn’t wield any tools, could now use a few common weapons, including Crossbows.

‘Exactly the same level as a Chimpanzee. Chimpanzees can’t use proper tools either, but they can use simple ones. Like a rock for cracking walnuts, or a twig for catching ants, things like that…’

Seo Yun looked at the Chimpanzee that looked like the girl before her. The pretty-looking Chimpanzee, meeting her gaze, smiled cluelessly and said.

“We’re almost there. Get ready to fight soon!”

Seo Yun, lost in thought for a moment, was taken aback.

“Fight right away? Without even discussing tactics or anything?”

“Plans and everything always fall apart once the fighting starts anyway!”

“No, but still. You should at least tell me what the enemy is…”

Han Siwoo, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.

“Swarm Mage. You know what that is, right?”

Seo Yun was taken aback once more.

“I know, but isn’t that Challenge Rating 7?”

“Yeah.”

“And you two planned to take it down?”

“You’re added now, so it’s three of us.”

Good grief, this brat seems to be including the Martial Artist in the headcount. Seo Yun didn’t bother pointing out the absurdity of that calculation and asked.

“That thing… will our attacks even work on it?”

Han Siwoo answered in a low voice.

“If you’re scared, just cast a few Spells and get out. Then we’ll really hunt it with just the two of us.”

Seo Yun shot back in an irritated voice.

“Cut the crap. Just explain it simply. How are we supposed to fight, anyway?”

Seo Yun thought the brat would now get annoyed back, but surprisingly, Han Siwoo just stared at her intently.

In fact, Han Siwoo readily opened his mouth.

“First, regarding the Positions—”

Han Siwoo explained the three Positions and each person’s role, then went on to explain the tactics and points to watch out for. It was quite summarized, but it included everything one needed to know, which was unexpected for Seo Yun.

His attitude towards her was no different from Park Taeyang’s. She thought she’d have to engage in an irritating battle of wills like when dealing with Park Taeyang, but somehow he was being oddly compliant.

“—Got it? Now just cast the Spells.”

Only then did Seo Yun nod and do as he wished.

First, she grabbed Han Siwoo’s wrist and prayed.

“Divine protection.”An opaque force field spread from Han Siwoo’s wrist. The force field covered his full-body armor and slightly exposed eyes and skin, then quickly became completely transparent. It was an Armor spell.

Next, he recited a Blessing spell, which had the effect of making party members feel less pain by increasing their adrenaline secretion, as well as boosting physical strength and elevating their spirit to overcome fear. It even had a mental enhancement effect that mitigated the decline in judgment caused by excessive blood flow.

Finally, by activating a Praise spell to enhance magic resistance, the priest’s party buffs were complete. The priest’s magic spells were so diverse and powerful, one might wonder if it was appropriate for someone of just Level 1.

Gaeulbi also received a protection spell and squealed with delight as if it were the best thing ever.

“This is my first time getting a buff!”

It seemed Han Siwoo felt the same way. Even though he must have read about the effects of those spells in the Rulebook, he still asked just to be sure.

“The Armor spell, if I get this, it protects even vital points, right?”

Seo Yun nodded.

“That’s right. Now even your eyes and nostrils are protected.”

“Okay, then…”

Meanwhile, Seo Yun could now also sense where the enemy was.

It was still spring and the weather was cold, but summer was approaching. The weather had warmed up enough that it was somewhat possible to go around without a thick coat.

So mosquitoes were flying about. An eerily large number of mosquitoes.

Among them, there was a spot where an especially dense swarm of mosquitoes was flying. In this day and age, that was a precursor to the appearance of a terrifying monster.

“Alright, everyone get ready… I’m firing!”

Gaeulbi aimed her crossbow at that spot and fired. Thwack!

The crossbow itself was a simple device, but it seemed the arrow was enchanted with a spell.

A small explosion erupted at the spot as if a tiny missile had hit it. Hundreds of gathered mosquitoes burned and fell all at once, while the remaining mosquitoes went on alert.

The sound of flapping wings echoed noisily from all around.

The mosquitoes flying nearby began to gather in one place. It was a coalescence beyond a mere insect swarm, forming a single solid shape.

Soon, the mosquitoes took on a human-like form composed of clustered black dots.

From what Seo Yun could see, it was exactly the Swarm Mage described in the Rulebook. A monster where a swarm of insects merges to form the consciousness of a human mage. The Rulebook mentioned that the level of that consciousness was sufficient to allow the use of magic spells, didn’t it?

The Swarm Mage, holding a staff formed from a mosquito swarm, looked in their direction.

Seo Yun took a deep breath to stay calm.

The Swarm Mage had appeared about twenty meters away from the party. It likely appeared at a distance to cast attack spells from afar, but Han Siwoo didn’t give it that chance.

“Here I go—!”

With a single shout, Han Siwoo charged.

Clearly, his bracelet was granting him magical power.

Han Siwoo was running at a speed that clearly surpassed that of a short-distance track athlete. In an instant, he closed the distance to the enemy and swung his sword.

The blade passed through the Swarm Mage’s head. The slash itself inflicted no damage. The Swarm Mage’s form, being merely a swarm of mosquitoes rather than a solid mass of flesh, let the blade pass through.

However, Seo Yun saw blue sparks flying from the blade as it collided with the mosquitoes.

The mosquito swarm of the Swarm Mage, which should have been immune to physical attacks, had the parts touched by those sparks completely burn up. The sound of burning mosquito wings echoed like screams.

Seo Yun recalled the briefing she had heard earlier.

‘That sword was said to be a magic sword that shoots lightning, right?’

The Swarm Mage’s head finally had its core burn and collapse, and eventually, the entire human form of the Swarm Mage turned back into mosquitoes and scattered.

Along with that, hundreds of mosquitoes clung to Han Siwoo’s body as if counterattacking, but he didn’t bother trying to brush them off. The mosquitoes’ proboscises couldn’t penetrate the force field of the Armor spell.

It was the same for the mosquitoes approaching Seo Yun and Gaeulbi. Even their exposed skin was covered by an invisible force field. In the end, the mosquitoes could only cling to their bodies but couldn’t inflict any further harm.

“Wow, Priest-nim’s spells are really great! They really don’t bite!”

As Gaeulbi exclaimed in admiration in this situation, Seo Yun was inwardly startled. Was it the effect of the Blessing spell, or was that just her personality? Or was she used to situations like this?

Meanwhile, Seo Yun silently swung her Flaming Sword. Lines of flame appearing in the air burned the mosquitoes, blocking their approach. Soon, only a few mosquitoes remained in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, while some mosquitoes were buying time, the swarm was flying to another location.

The human form of the Swarm Mage appeared atop a utility pole. The lips formed by mosquitoes moved. It was clear it was about to recite a spell this time.

And at that moment, Gaeulbi, who seemed to be taking it easy, immediately drew her crossbow. Again, Thwack!

The arrow pierced the Swarm Mage’s head and exploded. The remnants of the mosquitoes burned and fell below the utility pole.

Having lost its head once again, the Swarm Mage’s form scattered this time as well. As if searching for a better location, the swarm, having turned back into a mosquito cloud, flew through the air.

Seo Yun held her Flaming Sword ready in case it flew toward them, but the mosquito swarm seemed to avoid them, flying far away. And Seo Yun calmly watched Han Siwoo running in that direction.

It was a hunt going more smoothly than expected.