The doll, unusually massive, flashed its blood-red eyes.
“Hoo…”
Clad in what was now little more than rags for armor, I stared it down.
All three Steel Swords I’d brought were broken and shattered—this was my last one.
‘But this Doll Warrior is the last, too.’
The Weakened Doll Swordsman Captain.
It was the mid-boss monster that marked the end of this section.
Once I took this guy down, the Guardian’s section would be finished as well.
On top of that, defeating the mid-boss meant I could claim the ‘Reward for Dangerous Hunt’ separately.
[Dangerous Hunt Success Reward]
- A large amount of experience
- New Title: Explorer Specialist
- Skill: Magic Enhancement
- Interest
“So let’s have some fun, shall we?”
I pretended to sound relaxed, but inside, I was biting my lip hard.
Gulp.
Honestly, there was no way not to be tense.
I knew all too well that this fight wouldn’t be easy.
A mid-boss isn’t called a mid-boss for nothing.
I didn’t know the exact numbers, but it would probably be about 1.5 times more powerful than a regular Doll Warrior in every aspect.
But I quickly regained my composure.
‘Still, I can do this.’
On the way here, hunting Doll Warriors had given me confidence in combat, and I’d visibly reached level 13.
Through all that training, I’d nearly maxed out the physical Stats I could raise.
[Status]
Title: Fighter
Fate: Mercenary Gladiator (C)
Level: 13
Strength: 70
Intelligence: 70
Endurance: 61
Charm: 75
Total: 276
Remaining Points: 15
Back when I first fell into this world.
‘My total was only 173 back then.’
Compared to that miserable state, this was a dramatic change.
I’d clawed my way up, stacking over 100 Stat points.
Thanks to all that effort, Gilloshian finally looked like a real person.
If I could keep this pace, it almost felt like I’d reach superhuman heights in no time.
But I knew.
‘This is the limit for Stats I can raise through training.’
Exactly 70 points.
This was the final boundary.
In other words, this was the last chance to raise Stats by moving the character—beyond this, it wouldn’t work anymore.
So, even if a character hit 70 Strength, no matter how much physical training they did, it’d be almost impossible to raise it even by 1 point.
‘When Intelligence hits 70, even if you study every book in the Imperial Library, Intelligence won’t go up by even a single point.’
…Ah, as for why Gilloshian’s Charm Stat is 75?
I’m not exactly sure about that, either.
If I had to guess, maybe the Imperial Bloodline had some effect.
Anyway…
Now, I had to invest my saved Stat Points directly.
Only then could I continue to grow.
‘Yeah, it’s finally time to spend all those Stat Points I’ve been hoarding.’
Until now, I hadn’t used a single Stat Point, saving them all up.
I knew all too well that investing points before each Stat reached 70 would be a waste, so I held back.
‘A total of 16 points.’
That included the 13 I got from level-up rewards, plus 3 given at the start of the game.
My choice for using them was extremely simple.
“Invest 15 points into Strength.”
I poured everything but one point into Strength.
To go head-to-head with that Captain, I needed to go all out.
[Strength increases!]
[Strength has reached 85!]
In an instant, power surged through my limbs and the Steel Sword in my hand felt lighter.
The previous increases in Strength had come gradually through training, so I couldn’t really feel them.
But dumping all those points in at once, I could definitely feel the difference.
Now, it looked like I could handle this.
‘And with this, I’ve reached a pretty important milestone, too.’
Strength 85 was a special mark. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to spend my points.
Kwaaaaaa!
Maybe the boost in Stats changed my aura a bit, because the Doll Swordsman Captain let out a loud roar and raised its sword high.
Without any hesitation, it charged straight at me.
“…!”
Thud, thud, thud!
Its footsteps shook the ground.
The force barreling at me was like a runaway train—I almost felt myself being pushed back.
But as it drew closer, I actually became calmer.
…On the way here, I’d hunted exactly 49 Doll Warriors.
Along with reaching level 13, my Haewoo Swordsmanship had also achieved the level I’d aimed for.
‘I finally hit 2 stars.’
As I’ve said, leveling up a general technique brings a huge difference.
Just like this!
[Attack Technique: Slash 2nd Form]
Kwaaang!
Clashing head-on with that massive body, easily over two meters tall, I gritted my teeth.
For a moment, it felt like I was about to be crushed by this giant monster.
But that was just my imagination.
‘Not bad, huh?’
No…
It almost felt like I had the upper hand!
Crash!
The Slash 2nd Form of Haewoo Swordsmanship, as if celebrating my achievement of Swordsmanship 2 stars, forcefully pushed back the Swordsman Captain.
And then, I unleashed a rapid flurry of slashes, pushing that huge frame back as I advanced.
‘Yeah, this is the thrill of fast swordsmanship!’
And this was the synergy effect of reaching 85 Strength plus Slash 2nd Form.
It didn’t show up directly in the Stats, but the Mercenary Gladiator Fate card basically gave a big bonus to Strength.
In other words, that meant Strength was just that important for a Gladiator.
And the same applied to general sword techniques.
Once Strength hit 85, the efficiency of swordsmanship changed.
Like shifting gears in a car, the skill’s effect became noticeably stronger.
‘That’s why people tell newbie tankers to get to 85 Strength first.’
I was feeling the benefits firsthand now.
I’d expected to be evenly matched in strength with the Swordsman Captain at this point.
But instead, I was actually overwhelming it.
Crash!
“…!”
With a powerful shock, the Swordsman Captain was knocked backward.
In that moment, I saw it clearly.
A faint trace of anger flickered in the otherwise emotionless eyes.
And it was no wonder.
Thanks to my swordplay, one of its wrists had been cleanly severed.
So, it was time for it to change its approach.
I’d been expecting this shift.
The Doll Swordsman Captain’s second phase.
‘Now it’ll use magic.’
From here on, magical blades would be coming at me.
Honestly, I’d never really experienced this kind of attack before.
In my duel with Marquis Roit, the use of magic had been banned by the rules.
And the Doll Warriors up to this point were monsters without magic.
So, this Doll Swordsman Captain was the first magic monster I’d ever faced.
‘Of course, it’s not like this thing uses proper magic swordsmanship.’
Tssssss…
A faint red glow started to coat its massive blade.
It was infusing magic into its sword.
And in the blink of an eye, it was over my head.
But I’d already predicted this, and my sword was moving.
[Defense Technique: Parry 1st Form]
[Defense Technique: Parry 2nd Form]
There was no need to force the offense.
‘It’s not a real Sword Spirit anyway.’
If I could block it, I just had to block it.
I quickly retreated, deflecting the Doll Warrior’s sword left and right.
Then, as if it had found its chance, it sped up and closed in.
It hammered down at my head like a madman swinging a sledgehammer.
But the more it did, the calmer I became.
I moved my sword only as much as Haewoo Swordsmanship’s hit points indicated.
I focused on deflecting its attacks precisely.
‘Just need to wait for the right moment.’
I only needed to catch the most critical opening once.
‘A chance to land a critical hit.’
I waited for its movements to widen and its vital spot to be exposed.
‘Just like now.’
Taaang!
The moment the Swordsman Captain’s sword swung wide to the side—
I instantly shifted my speed.
Abandoning all restraint, I dove into its guard like a madman.
This wasn’t the time for Haewoo Swordsmanship—it was time to use the power of a Mercenary Gladiator.
[Attack Technique: Dance of Blades Commission]
Shashashak!
A merciless flurry of slashes began.
I didn’t bother with defense.
‘Throwing my whole body into slashing and stabbing only at the enemy’s vitals.
This ‘Dance of Blades Commission’ was an all-or-nothing attack, sacrificing everything for a critical strike.
[Attack Technique] Mercenary Gladiator’s exclusive skill. Sacrifices defense to attempt a deadly, all-out critical hit.
For every 3% defense sacrificed, critical hit success rate increases by 1%.
In other words, this skill temporarily trades defense for critical chance.
‘But critical attacks aren’t just about probability.’
It was pointless to rely solely on critical chance.
If certain conditions were met, I could exceed the listed probability and land a critical hit.
For example, breaking the enemy’s armor, or attacking from behind.
‘Or, like now, when you break the opponent’s balance?’
Of course, their vital points would be left wide open.
Then, as the system indicated, I just had to land consecutive hit points.
That way, every attack would count as a critical.
The increased critical chance would be added to the damage for extra rewards.
‘So instead of fixating on critical chance…
I should strip away the enemy’s defense and aim for vital spots with precise control.
‘That’s the key to critical attacks.’
And as a result—
Krarararara!
A fierce howl burst from the fallen Swordsman Captain.
At the same time, its entire body turned crimson and began to squirm, changing shape.
Yeah, that’s right.
‘This is its last frenzy.’
This was the final phase of the ‘Weakened Doll Swordsman Captain’.
Dropping its now-useless sword, it transformed its entire body into a weapon, becoming a massive, rampaging menace that devastated everything around it.
Bang, bang, bang!
Its arms, now mutated like flails, smashed the ground, wrecking everything in sight.
But I raised my sword.
‘Now!’
And instead, I charged forward.
This was the moment when its defense was at its weakest—I couldn’t miss my chance.
“Full burst time!”
[Special Technique: Hae Sword 1st Form]
The Steel Sword flashed white.
It wasn’t fully formed, so part of the blade shimmered like a mirage, and some of it was starting to crumble and fall apart…
“I can infuse my sword with magic, too. Take this!”
[Sub-skill] The first form of Haewoo Swordsmanship’s magic manipulation technique. Allows you to learn basic magic emission through the sword.
Shuuuuuu!
Like pulling the plug from a bathtub, my magic swirled and drained from my body.
Since arriving in this world, I’d never burned through my power this fast.
‘Damn, I won’t last even five seconds!’
…I’ll end it before then.
I can do this!
[Defense Technique: Gold Bar Commission]
[Attack Technique: Slash 2nd Form]
[Attack Technique: Dance of Blades Commission]
There’s no rule saying you can only use one skill at a time.
I added Hae Sword 1st Form on top of that.
All told, four skills unfolded at once.
Thanks to that, the hit points rained down before my eyes like a summer downpour.
But I could handle it.
‘This time, I just have to focus on attacking!’
I blocked the Swordsman Captain’s flailing attacks purely with money.
And I poured all the might of Slash 2nd Form into the critical strikes of Dance of Blades.
‘And even my Steel Sword is clumsily infused with magic.’
As a result, my attacks were now more than ten times stronger than usual.
And so…
Boom!
The massive Doll Warrior’s torso exploded right before my eyes.
[‘Weakened Doll Swordsman Captain’ has been defeated!]
“Gotchaaa!”
Of course, the system message didn’t end there.
[The cost for skill usage is being charged.]
[59.15 gold coins have been deducted!]
The sound of my wallet being emptied.
…Man, that’s crazy expensive!
But I’d expected this much, and it was still manageable.
‘No, that’s not it.’
I was waiting for the next message.
And soon, it appeared.
[You have obtained a reward for defeating a special enemy!]
That was the message.
The fallen Swordsman Captain had granted me yet another reward.
[Please check your Reward for Dangerous Hunt.]