Chapter 15

(Elf)

▶ Your lifespan and youth, designated as a friend of the elves, will increase!

▶ All effects and positive appraisals received from elves will greatly increase.

“…Good, isn’t it?”

It was a blessing with no downsides.

For me, whose lifespan is reset, the effect of increased lifespan and youth might seem meaningless, but that’s not the case at all. This is because lifespan is deeply connected to ‘power.’ Used together like this… [Outcast] (Elf) The amount I can burn at once with the ‘Power of Meat’ increases. In other words, the sparkling, chuunibyou effect has been upgraded.

“The second effect is… hmm…” The effects and positive appraisals from fantasy barbarians who threaten my life every time I meet them will greatly increase?

Who cares?

A certain god grumbles about me being too happy. “Well…”

A certain god puffs out their cheeks. “The reason I’m happy is because I broke up with that elf.”

A certain god relaxes.

I decided to move a considerable distance away.

It was a shame about the school uniform and crossbow I left in the village, but it was better than the fact that I had shaken off the mercenaries’ pursuit and survived becoming known. Next destination… “Hello?” “It’s meat! Meat!” “Can I check out your house?” “Talking meat?!”

I decided to ask Gnoll A, whom I ran into while passing by.

It took half a day for the heroes, who had been played with and stunned by two gnolls, to regain their senses. Limbs severed, necks bitten, bones protruding, soiling themselves, eyeballs gouged out, noses broken, hearts stopped…

The shock and aftereffects they experienced, having never gone through such pain on Earth, were immense. And the individual differences were also great. “Ugh…” “Mommy…” “No…” A majority of heroes were still unable to recover from their panic.

Those who shrieked at the sight of gnolls were deemed difficult to accompany and were evacuated to the city’s temple.

Of course,

“Tah-ha!” “■■■?!”

There were also those who quickly overcame this ordeal and took a step forward. [Fighting Spirit]

Hero Choi Kang-min achieved the feat of single-handedly defeating a Level 3 gnoll by actively utilizing the blessing effect that made him stronger the longer the fight lasted.

He incited some heroes to establish a defensive formation and endure together, then…

[Fighting Spirit]

“Here I come…!”

Once he judged he was strong enough, he used a tactic of stepping forward and defeating the gnoll himself.

A certain god praises someone as smart. A certain God of War criticizes him for being too sneaky.

A certain childish chief god grumbles that it’s too boring. A certain god…

The gods, with the exception of a few with unique tastes, highly praised Choi Kang-min for his prominent performance.

Though it was thanks to the blessing of Fighting Spirit, they didn’t mind, considering that acquiring a blessing from a god was also a skill. And not long after…

“Level 2!”

He achieved the feat of reaching Level 2 faster than any other hero.

[Name] Choi Kang-min

[Level] 2

[Blessing] Hero E, Fighting Spirit F, Magic D, Haste, Leadership F

[Curse] –

[Payout] 3.22

Hero Choi Kang-min’s list of blessings also saw a big change. His blessings increased, and his Hero blessing also went up one grade. He wanted to show off and also certify it, so he made his private status window public to everyone.

[Haste]

▶ You can move very quickly at truly important moments!

▶ The longer the effect lasts, the longer the cooldown.

After receiving this blessing, Choi Kang-min’s confidence soared.

[Haste]

[Fighting Spirit]

Thanks to the synergy of these two body-enhancing blessings, his hunting speed increased.

On top of that, another blessing gave him bonus experience points.

[Leadership]

▶ The abilities of all groups under your command slightly increase!

▶ The bolder or more reckless the command, the stronger the effect.

If they fought together, contributions would be distributed, and experience would also be divided.

[Leadership] However, Choi Kang-min gained more experience points with the ‘contribution’ of assisting other heroes with his blessing.

There was another hero who gained experience in a similar way.

“For Jang Mi-yeon!” “Let’s protect our goddess!” “Gnolls are nothing to fear!”

“Woooaah!”

Though not comparable to knights whose bodies were weapons, the physically fit heroes (male) bravely fought, protecting one girl.

They weren’t born fighters.

[Charm]

It was thanks to their instincts, captivated by Hero Jang Mi-yeon’s blessing, overcoming their fear!

This was also a form of contribution. She, who instilled courage to fight in the heroes, was given a significant amount of experience.

As a result, Hero Jang Mi-yeon became the second to reach Level 2, following Choi Kang-min. “Thanks, everyone.”

Many heroes (male) glared at Jang Mi-yeon, who was comfortably gaining experience while being protected by men, but she didn’t care. She believed her appearance was also a weapon.

It was foolish to fight in the same way as males who were biologically better suited for barbaric violence. ….Jang Mi-yeon, with her firm philosophy, was confident.

A certain innocent goddess stares intently. “G-goddess! This is not an impure relationship!”

But even this hero became a docile lamb before the goddess’s wrath.

Because she hated pain!

However, the gods didn’t let her become passive.

A certain magnanimous beauty god winks. “Oh my!”

[Beauty]

▶ Beauty is relative and subjective, but you are an exception.

▶ You are freed from ungraceful physiological phenomena and body management.

Jang Mi-yeon admired the perfectly effective blessing.

She didn’t know the full extent of ‘physiological phenomena,’ but being free from body management alone made her happy.

“I’ll protect you too!” “…Should I join in too? Hmm.” “This is a man’s job.” Heroes (male) who had been indifferent to Jang Mi-yeon until now additionally joined the ranks of ‘followers.’

Being honest to their instincts, perhaps?

Jang Mi-yeon, though not a flower boy, was filled with the feeling of becoming a romance fantasy heroine protected by many men, and she responded with a bright smile. “I’ll trust you~♬”

Her single word was powerful!

“Oh!”

“Let’s go!” “Aja!”

The heroes (male), who had become black knights fearless of death and pain, quickly dealt with the gnolls.

“■■?!”

!”

Were the heroes getting stronger? No. It was simply that the battle, which was strategically impossible to lose from the start, finally got on track. “Kang-min! I’m sorry.” “I’ll help you again later!”

“We’re friends, right?”

Rumble.

Even the classmates (male) who had been cooperating with Hero Choi Kang-min began to defect one by one to Jang Mi-yeon’s group.

Due to that influence, Choi Kang-min’s solo run faltered. This was because the ‘meat shields’ who would buy him time until his Fighting Spirit blessing could fully exert its power had dwindled. “…Jang Mi-yeon. Not bad.” Choi Kang-min, judging that he would be overtaken at this rate, pulled in the heroes (male) who were watching from behind. He didn’t have a blessing to entice others like Jang Mi-yeon, but his natural good looks and accumulated reputation were enough! “Alright.”

“Okay, Kang-min.” “I’ll help you!” The two groups thus formed began competitively hunting gnolls.

As the hunting ground became livelier, the gods’ messages also increased.

A certain god shares popcorn.

A certain innocent god eats popcorn deliciously.

A certain God of Fighting is excited, telling them to kill everything. A certain god cheers everyone on.

A certain magnanimous beauty god watches with an alluring pose.

A certain god…

Although it was still at the level of pulling and catching one or two at a time, it was an immense improvement compared to the early stages when they were absurdly annihilated.

Of course, there were still heroes who were making no progress.

“Ugh!”

Hero Yu Bo-ra, the class president, barely dodged the gnoll’s attack and rolled in the dirt.

“Haa, haa…”

She was so exhausted that she could fall asleep immediately if she just lay down. “■.. ■….”

The silver lining in this misfortune was that the gnoll she was confronting was also quite exhausted. Why was Yu Bo-ra fighting alone? Because she was too outstanding.

A certain Water God looks at someone with pity.

A certain god offers popcorn. A certain Water God declines, saying they’re not in the mood to eat. A certain god looks dejected. A certain God of War watches while eating popcorn.

She, who was overtly checked by Choi Kang-min and Jang Mi-yeon, couldn’t belong to any group.

Was it just their fault?

Not necessarily. Heroes who wanted to be the second or third in a group also avoided Yu Bo-ra.

This was the result.

Ignored by everyone, Yu Bo-ra had been in a messy fight with one gnoll for almost an hour.

If it weren’t for the magic she learned from Princess Atena, she wouldn’t have been able to endure this long with her frail female body. *Boom! ■■…?!” The gnoll, hit by the fireball Yu Bo-ra created by squeezing out her mental power, let out a dying scream and finally collapsed. Hiss… Its entire body was already covered in burns from before, to the point where it was unrecognizable.

“Haa, haa…”

Yu Bo-ra, relaxing and slumping onto the dirt ground, gasped for breath. And she had an astonishing experience.

[Name] Yu Bo-ra

[Level] 2

[Blessing] Hero F, Magic C, Weapon F

[Curse] –

[Payout] 2.04

Her level instantly rose after she single-handedly hunted a Level 2 gnoll and monopolized the experience.

Of course, it wasn’t a situation to be optimistic about.

This was because her level was the lowest among the heroes, excluding those who had completely given up hunting and were evacuated to the temple. However, it was still too early to despair and be frustrated. A certain Water God is relieved. A certain God of War cheers her on to work hard. “…Thank you.”

She expressed her gratitude to the invisible gods.

[Weapon]

▶ Your body becomes a powerful weapon in all situations!

▶ All weapons you possess are naturally repaired like your body.

It was amazing. Even a wooden sword, lighter than iron, which had been cumbersome to hold for a long time, now felt light.

[Weapon] Yu Bo-ra, realizing the effect of the blessing she had just acquired, ran into the hunting ground.

Whoosh!

Her feeling that her footsteps had become faster was not her imagination. “Yup!” “..?”

Slash.

Blood spurted from the gnoll’s right shoulder, as its reaction to dodging the wooden sword was one beat too late. The gnoll’s claws, enraged by pain, raked Yu Bo-ra’s face.

“Ugh!” Screech.

However, the damage was minimal. It made a sound as if scratching a helmet and resulted in only a small scratch.

The gnoll was bewildered by this incomprehensible phenomenon.

Whoosh!

And suddenly, a fire appeared right in front of its face, burning its face, which was protected by gray fur.

~?!”

Yu Bo-ra’s revenge, a wound on her cheek.

“Die…!” As she cast magic with her left hand, the wooden sword she swung with her right hand severed the gnoll’s neck.

Splash.

In that way, Yu Bo-ra dealt with two additional gnolls and reached Level 3. “Damn.” “Tsk.”

Choi Kang-min and Jang Mi-yeon, feeling the gap closing, urged the heroes in their groups to keep pushing so they wouldn’t be caught up. “Let’s go further!”

“Hang in there!”

Was the competitive hunting of the three heroes a catalyst? A certain god takes notice. A certain Wind God cheers with a refreshing breeze.

A certain hasty God of Magic lays down a mat.

A certain male god looks on with satisfaction. A certain god… A multitude of heroes who had received blessings from the gods appeared. “You too?” “Me too!” And so… The heroes’ first hunt, which started poorly but ended grandly, was successfully concluded.

How many did I kill?

I hunted gnolls without rest from sunrise to sunset. A scared gnoll called its brother, and when the brother died, it called a friend, when the friend died, parents, when parents died, neighbors, when neighbors died, the chief, when the chief died, allies, when allies died…

The area was so full of gnoll corpses that there was no room to step. A certain god asks if I’m curious how many I killed. “No.”

It’s enough that I killed more gnolls than one gnoll would hunt in a lifetime.

“It’s clear now.”

I looked at the status window again, which I had checked hundreds of times while fighting.

[Name] Kang Han-soo

[Level] 1

[Blessing] Outcast F, Elf

[Curse] Hero E, Massacre

[Payout] 5.46

A new curse was added during the hunt, but that’s a minor issue compared to the tyranny of the evil goddess. “A Level 1 life, huh.”

I cannot level up.